


Fifty Kisses

by Mochas N Mayhem (KoohiiCafe)



Category: Amnesia (Game & Anime), Fallout (Video Games)
Genre: "I Won't Forget You" ending, 50 kisses challenge, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Alternate Universe - Fallout (Video Games) Setting, Bad Parenting, Clover route, Crossover, Diamond route, F/M, Fix-It, Fluff, Ikki is a little shit, Kid Fic, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Spades route
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-28
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2020-09-28 11:22:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 17
Words: 20,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20425151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KoohiiCafe/pseuds/Mochas%20N%20Mayhem
Summary: A series of kisses between a lovely heroine and her lovely boys. This will be a series of shorts, some connected to my storyReshuffle, others unrelated, based on a50 Kisses Challengefrom tumblr.Relationships will be mostly Heroine/Ikki and Heroine/Kent.The majority of this series features Heroine/Ikki/Kent as one polyamorous relationship, while the remainder feature Heroine/Ikki and Heroine/Kent as monoamorous relationships. Tags will be added as needed.





	1. As Encouragement

**Author's Note:**

> I came across this prompt list, originally intended for the Arcana fandom, for the [50 Kisses Challenge](https://arcana-resources.tumblr.com/post/187318560356/the-original-author-of-the-prompt-list). While I love Arcana, I'm not deep enough in the fandom to write it yet; looking at the list, though, I immediately knew I wanted to fill these prompts with Ikki and Kent from Amnesia: Memories, so! Here we are!
> 
> Some of these prompts will be set in the same universe as my story [Reshuffle](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20044576/chapters/47467246), but others will likely be unrelated. My planned pairings are Heroine/Ikki and Heroine/Kent, both as individual relationships as well as one single poly relationship. Tags will be added to the story as they become applicable. I hope you guys enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroine is finally returning to work at Meido no Hitsuji after she's recovered from her ordeal with Toma. Ikki gives her a little bit of encouragement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _18\. as encouragement..._
> 
> This is set within the universe of [Reshuffle](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20044576/chapters/47467246), and takes place roughly a month after Ikki, Kent, and Shin have rescued Heroine from Toma.

The day had finally come and, as she compulsively checked over every single bit of her uniform for what had to be the fifth or six time since she’d changed into it, she knew she was doing nothing but putting off the inevitable.

It wasn’t like it was the first time she’d come to the cafe since everything happened- she’d stopped by a few times over the last month, usually with Ikki, once or twice with Kent or Shin, but that. That had been different. She’d just been visiting then, little by little trying to get a feel for the life she’d forgotten, trying to get reacquainted with the people she’d known before, but hadn’t gotten the chance to know again. This time, she wasn't here to (again) meet an old friend, or to visit with one of the three men who had become such important touchstones in her life. This time, she was here to take back her life itself, and to take an important step towards reclaiming her independence.

She was equal parts absolutely thrilled, and absolutely terrified.

‘_You can do this!_’ Orion’s voice was cheerful and confident, and although she could no longer see the spirit since she’d started recovering more and more of her memories, she could imagine the smile that would have gone along with his words. ‘_You’ve been practicing so hard for this! Not even Shin could find something to critique you on last night, remember?_’

She did remember, and she felt her cheeks flush a little at the memory. She’d asked Shin to practice with her one last time, nervous about having to work a full day today, and he’d agreed only after warning her that he wouldn’t go easy on her. She’d taken it as the challenge it was and, after at least an hour of roleplaying back and forth with him as her customer, Shin had grudgingly admitted that she’d done a good job. Ikki, who’d been watching the whole thing, had swept in to congratulate her on her success, sweeping her into a big hug that had made _her _blush, and _Shin _grumble.

‘_I can do this,_’ she thought back to Orion, keeping her thoughts as confident as possible. Then, for possibly the seventh time, she started looking over her uniform again.

Her examination was interrupted by a gentle knock on the door- probably Sawa, coming to check on her since it was almost time to open the cafe. She called out, “Come on in,” and moved to the mirror to check her headpiece. She heard the door open, heard Sawa walking towards her- and then Ikki appeared behind her in the mirror.

“You look absolutely radiant this morning,” he said, his smile in the mirror warm as he laid his hands on her shoulders. Her cheeks grew even hotter, and her gaze dropped briefly before she shifted and turned to face him. His hand that reached to her chin was gentle, his touch tender as he lifted it so that he could look her in the eyes; the force of his gaze on her was breathtaking, in a way that had nothing to do with the magic that seemed to affect other women, and everything to do with the surety and confidence in her that his eyes conveyed. “You’re cute as a button in your uniform, and you’re going to take the customers today by storm.”

“You sounds so sure of that,” she said, her voice softer than she’d meant it to be. She’d begun to slowly reclaim her confidence as her memories had returned more and more, but she knew that she still wasn’t back to the same as she had been before everything happened. She knew it from the way Shin looked at her sometimes, with worry hidden beneath his gruff attitude and tough love; knew it from the way Kent was ever so gentle with her still, trying so hard to be sensitive when she knew that emotions didn’t come easily to him; knew it from the way Ikki almost always went out with her when Shin or Kent didn’t, overprotective and unwilling to let her be caught alone and vulnerable. Now though… now he just looked confident and proud.

“I am sure,” he answered, and he winked playfully at her. “You’ve been trained by the best, after all. You can handle anything that comes your way today.”

“I was trained by _you_,” she pointed out, and she couldn’t quite keep the corners of her lips from lifting up into a smile at his bravado.

“Like I said; the best.” He grinned, wide and confident, and she really couldn’t help but giggle. His grin widened even more when she did. “There we go, that’s better. Now, if we don’t get out there soon, we’re going to be late, and Waka’s going to have our heads. Are you ready?”

She inhaled deeply, then let the air out in a slow huff, and nodded, steeling herself. She could do this. Orion had faith in her, and although he’d gone quiet for the moment, she knew he was still there, ready to keep her spirits up if she needed him. Ikki was confident in her, was right there with her too, would be there with her all day, ready to give her any support she might need. And although Sawa and Waka didn’t know the full extent of her condition and missing memories, she knew they would be there too, if she needed any help.

“I’m ready,” she answered, and gave Ikki a steady smile. He dipped down to her, placing a gentle, encouraging kiss on her forehead, then stepped back and offered her his arm gallantly.

“My lady,” he said, and she reached up to lay her hand in his crooked elbow. Together, they headed out to start her first day back.


	2. Because Time's Run Out...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The entire day had been nothing but a procession of visitors in and out of her hospital room, stopping by to see her one by one, then slipping away to allow the next person to come. There’d been the few Orion had recognized from the far too short month they’d spent out in the world; Sawa, Mine, Shin, Toma, even the manager from the cafe. Her parents, of course, had been in early in the morning, but they’d stayed away as the chain of visitors came and went, and he knew they wouldn’t return until her last visitor had left. Until Kent had left.
> 
> Orion prayed to Nhil, wherever he was, that Kent wouldn’t leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _39\. because time's run out..._
> 
> Warning: this is set after Kent's "I Won't Forget You" bad ending. It involves major character death. If you're not up for that, you might want to skip this one. This one was painful to write.

Orion had never felt more helpless than he did in this exact moment, as he watched Kent walk into the room and settle into the chair beside her bed.

The entire day had been nothing but a procession of visitors in and out of the room, stopping by to see her one by one, then slipping away to allow the next person to come. There’d been the few he’d recognized from the far too short month they’d spent out in the world; Sawa, Mine, Shin, Toma, even the manager from the cafe. Then there’d been the ones he hadn’t recognized; classmates from college and high school both, old friends, former teachers, a few distant relatives who’d come to town specifically to see her. Her parents, of course, had been in early in the morning, but they’d stayed away as the chain of visitors came and went, and he knew they wouldn’t return until her last visitor had left. Until _Kent_ had left.

He prayed to Nhil, wherever he was, that Kent wouldn’t leave.

He watched, helpless, as Kent took her limp hand within his own, large, trembling hands. He watched as Kent held to her hand as if it were a lifeline, as if it were the most precious thing in the world to him. He could _feel_ how tightly Kent was holding on; if she could have felt it, it would have hurt her, but… she couldn’t. She hadn’t been able to feel _anything_ for far too long. Instead, Orion felt it for her, and it broke his heart.

They sat like that for some time, a thick, oppressive silence reigning over the room. Kent held to her, watching over her silently, and Orion watched over them both in turn. Outside, the sun began to sink in the sky, and although the spirit wasn’t sure exactly how much time passed as they sat in that silence, by the time the darkness overtook the sky completely, he knew visiting hours had come to a close. That didn’t mean much to either of them, as the nurses hadn’t enforced visiting hours for Kent for months, instead allowing him to come and go as he wished, but… It meant something for _her_, he knew.

A knock on the door interrupted the silence. Kent didn’t move, didn’t call out. Orion turned to look as the door swung open, and Ikki stepped into the room. He watched as the man took one look at his friend, then shut the door behind him quietly and stepped up beside him.

“Ken…”

“Don’t.” Kent’s voice was thick, hoarse, curt. His eyes didn’t waver from her still, peaceful face. “You should not be here. Visiting hours are over.”

“Did you really think I was going to leave you to face this alone?”

They had only met Ikki a few times, and only briefly, but that didn’t mean that Orion couldn’t read the pain in the man’s voice. There was anguish there, laden in his tone, written in his eyes; not for himself, but for Kent. It matched the anguish in Orion’s own heart. He watched as, when Kent didn’t answer, Ikki reached out to lay a hand on Kent’s shoulder.

“I neither desire, nor require any support, Ikkyu. I have a perfect understanding of the decision that has been made, and of the inherent logic of that decision.” Despite his cold words, however, Orion could see the way the older man almost leaned into the hand on his shoulder, could feel the slight shift the movement caused to his grip of her hand.

“This isn’t about _logic_, so stop trying to throw up a smokescreen.” The words were sharp, but Ikki’s tone was gentle. He stepped closer to his friend, squeezing Kent’s shoulder tightly. “This isn’t _right_, and everyone knows it. I barely even knew her, and I know it’s wrong, how can they-”

“They are her parents; it is their right.” Kent’s voice trembled faintly, in the same way his hands holding hers trembled. Orion wanted to cry. He wished Kent could cry. He knew Kent needed to, but- he never did. Never allowed himself to. And Orion knew it was breaking him slowly.

“There has to be another way. Can’t they-”

“She has already been seen by the top neurosurgeons in the country; they have been completely unable to determine the cause of her condition. Her brain activity has not improved and has, in fact, deteriorated to the point that she has been placed on a ventilator. It is very likely that, should her condition continue to deteriorate, her vegetative state will lapse into brain death. There is no hope of recovery, and her continued existence relies on life support.”

The words were matter of fact. They were nothing Orion had not already heard, many times over by this point, and yet every single word made his chest tighter, made him feel more and more as if he couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t even imagine what Kent had to feel, speaking such words. He didn’t _want _to imagine it.

Ikki looked like he had been punched in the gut. Like his hand gripping Kent’s shoulder, his knuckles white with the tightness of their hold, was the only thing holding him up. His eyes slid closed, and stayed like that for a long moment. When he opened them again, he spoke, his voice thick.

“You and I have a date tonight, with as much alcohol as we can get our hands on.”

Kent shook his head, for the first time pulling his eyes away from her still face for the second the movement took. He shuddered, and gripped her hand tighter, and said, “I cannot leave her, Ikkyu. I-” His voice broke, and he stopped speaking long enough to swallow thickly before pressing on. “I am to be her last visitor. When I leave, her parents will-”

His voice abandoned him, his jaw trembling as his words broke. For the first time, Orion could see a wetness to his eyes. His hands holding hers shook harder, and as his eyes squeezed shut, Orion realized that Kent was shaking all over. Breaking silently. At the same time, Ikki seemed to realize it was well; immediately the younger man was stepping closer, wrapping an arm around Kent tightly. Supporting and holding him.

“Then we stay,” Ikki said. And they did.

Orion wished they could stay forever. He prayed to Nhil again, begging that they would. But too soon, as the first rays of light began to creep into the sky, there was another knock on the door.

Neither man answered. It didn’t prevent the door from opening and admitting a nurse. Neither man looked at her as she spoke, her voice soft.

“It’s time.”

It was clear that it was only Ikki’s support that allowed Kent to rise to his feet. Rise he did, still holding her hand tightly. His eyes were red, his knuckles white, as he bent to lay a gentle kiss on her hand. Orion watched, as Ikki helped Kent pry his hand from hers, his fingers cramped and contorted from their long hold. And he watched as, with the gentlest touch, Kent stroked her hair away from her face before bending to press his lips to her forehead tenderly.


	3. As A Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kent, to absolutely no one's surprise, had a bad habit of staying up far too late working on his research, often leaving she and Ikki alone in bed. Ikki had a plan to put a stop to that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _29\. as a promise_
> 
> Possibly set far in the future of Reshuffle? Or in some other random universe where Ikki, Kent, and the heroine are together. Either works!

Ikki wasn’t sure exactly how long she’d been curled up in his arms, both of them drifting lazily in and out of dreams, because he didn’t remember exactly when the two of them had crawled into bed, but he knew exactly what time it was when a high-pitched chirping trilled from somewhere vaguely to the right of his ear. He groaned softly, grimacing and rubbing at his eyes with his one free hand, the other still trapped beneath her. He could hardly believe it was three in the morning already, but the alarm didn’t usually lie; if it was going off, then-

“Ikki…” Her voice was slurred with sleep, half muffled as she buried her face in his bare chest. He had to bite back a bit of a laugh as she flailed one arm over him and in the vague direction of the phone, patting blindly through the blankets with the clear intention of waking up only as much as she absolutely had to. “Make it stop.”

“Give me my arm back and I will,” he teased her with a smile, and tickled his trapped fingers along her ribcage as incentive. It had the desired effect, eliciting a short little shriek out of her and causing her to jerk away and off of his arm. He laughed as she groaned and rolled over onto her back, swatting at him only half-heartedly as he sat up and started looking for the phone in earnest. A moment later he had it, flipping it open to silence the alarm; that done, he dropped back down onto his back as well, extending his arm out to her without a thought. She rolled back over sleepily, nuzzling into his side and sighing.

“Who’s turn is it?”

“Mine, I believe,” he answered, and stretched out his free arm to lay the phone on the nightstand. His gaze was amused as he looked down to where she’d already gotten comfortable, and with a ruffle of her hair, he continued, “Which means you’re going to have to move again.”

Her nose scrunched up adorably, and she made no effort to move. Instead, she stretched her arm across his chest, huffing just a little.

“There has to be a better way of doing this,” she said, nose still scrunched. Ikki only laughed again, craning his neck to lay a kiss atop her hair before shaking his head.

“If you figure one out, feel free to let me know. But until then…” He tugged at his trapped arm. With clear reluctance, she shifted enough so that he could pull it free from beneath her.

“Do you have a plan?” she asked, watching as Ikki pushed the covers aside and pushed up to his feet. His eyes sparkling, he told her,

“I have a few ideas. Be back in a moment.”

Then he was padding out of their bedroom and down the hall. As he drew near to the door at the other end of the hall, he was careful to move as silently as possible. He’d had years of practice at sneaking up on his target, of course, but then… His target had had years of practice at detecting his approach. If he wanted to do this, he needed to be careful to do it exactly right, or he would lose the element of surprise.

When he reached the door, he found that it was already open the slightest crack, just enough for him to peer in and sight his prey. Ken’s back was to the door, and he was hunched over his desk, his computer screen brightly lit. Even from here it was clear that the other man was thoroughly engrossed in his research still, despite the late hour. Knowing him, he likely had no idea what time it was, and would happily continue working throughout the night. He had, in fact, done that more than once in the last month or so, which was what had led them to the system that Ikki was even now enacting.

Ikki waited, watching for the perfect moment. It took only a minute or so before he could hear the loud clacking of keys as Ken began to type quickly; he used the sound as a cover to slide the door open just enough to sneak inside. He moved quickly, quietly, as Ken continued to type hurriedly, slipping silently right up behind the other man, and-

Ken tensed, barely a microsecond before Ikki wrapped his arms around him and pressed up against his back. He’d noticed him- but far too late to stop him. Ikki’s grin was wicked as he wound one arm up Ken’s chest, enough to take hold of the collar of the other man’s black turtleneck and drag it down, exposing his neck. He attacked without mercy, then, dipping his head to kiss, nip, and nuzzle at the sensitive skin there; he knew the exact places to torment and tease, knew exactly where each kiss would have the best effect, and how the attention there would make the other man react.

Ken groaned, the sound thick and low; his head shifted to one side, exposing his neck further, and he shuddered beneath Ikki’s assault. For a moment- _a moment_\- Ikki thought that he’d already won. It was an illusion that was shattered barely a moment later, when Ken matter-of-factly advised him,

“I can only believe that you are not fully awake yet, Ikkyu, or you would be well aware that it is the left side of my neck that is the most sensitive, not the right.”

Ikki froze…. And then couldn’t help but collapse forward against Ken, laughing somewhat uncontrollably.

“Of all the-” He couldn’t even finish the protest, he was laughing so hard. Rather than try, he just buried his face in Ken’s neck, his shoulders- indeed, his whole body- shaking with each laugh. He could practically feel Ken’s smirk against his cheek, even as the man returned to his typing, and- oh no. He was here to put a _stop to that_, thank you very much, so he forcibly pulled himself together, forcing his laughter to the side. “Oh no you don’t, you’re not getting away from me _that _easily.”

Ken forestalled him with a faintly smug tone, answering, “I am merely saving my work.”

“You’d better be,” Ikki replied, feeling a little smug himself. So what if he’d kissed him on the wrong side, his plan had clearly still worked. After all, Ken _was _shutting down for the evening finally.

“If you believe that you can lavish such attention upon me without following through,” the other man said, his tone low and somewhat threatening in a most _delightful_ way, “you are very much mistaken.”

“Oh am I?,” Ikki drawled, a slow grin sliding across his lips. He knew his own voice was husky, and he nipped at Ken’s ear before speaking directly against it, “Is that a promise?”

He _felt_ Ken shudder, and his grin widened further as the older man reached to turn off his monitor decisively.

“It is.” Ken’s tone was one of pure command, brooking absolutely no argument.

“Prove it,” Ikki challenged. And before Ken could respond, he was gone, back through the door, into the hall, and darting back to the bedroom and their waiting lover, who had absolutely no idea what was about to crash her sleepy night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to my wife, who when I was trying to figure out how Kent was going to react to Ikki, suggested the absolutely most Kent thing to ever Kent. (_I am slowly absorbing her into the fandom. Eventually, I might even get her to actually play the game. XD_)


	4. Because They're Running Out Of Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ikki was about to do something that was either very, very foolish, or very, very smart; he still wasn't quite sure which. He’d charmed the nurse on duty into letting him into the hospital room after visiting hours, using his eyes to their absolute full effect, but that didn’t guarantee that he'd be able to get _out_ again without getting caught. In fact, given that he would be harboring a fugitive on the way out, the odds were very much _not_ in his favor.
> 
> If this didn’t work, Ken was going to kill him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _38\. because they're running out of time_
> 
> This is set after Kent's "I Won't Forget You" bad ending, and is a short fix-it for that ending, as it were. It's intended to be a mirror for [prompt 39](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20425151/chapters/48461750), and will hopefully make up for the pain of that prompt.

He was second-guessing himself even as he carefully made his way down the hall towards her room, keeping an eye out for any hospital personnel who might catch him before he arrived. He’d charmed the nurse on duty into letting him through, using his eyes to their absolute full effect, and she’d promised to keep his presence a secret, but that didn’t guarantee that he wouldn’t be caught and stopped by other on-duty employees if they saw him here so late after visiting hours- and late it was, midnight long past gone, the night rolling into the beginning of a new day. A new day in which he was… well. About to do something that was either very, very foolish, or very, very smart.

Ken, he knew, would call him a fool if he knew exactly what Ikki was planning on doing, or worse. _Likely_ worse, considering how much he cared for her, how much he _loved_ her, whether he admitted it or not. Because Ken could talk as much as he wanted about how love was nothing but a chemical reaction in the brain, could go on about how his attraction to her was nothing but his genetics finding a suitable match, but Ikki knew better. Ikki had seen the way his friend acted around her, and the way he acted when he _wasn’t_ around her, which was really even more telling. The way she affected him even after they parted ways… The way her amnesia, and her subsequent decline after she’d been hospitalized, had affected him.

He grimaced at the memory, as he continued moving towards her room. He’d known that Ken had been distracted, after he first took her to the hospital, but he hadn’t known exactly _how _bad it had been until a couple weeks later, when he’d come to deliver his answer to the latest of their math duels. Not only had it been far too easy to get the drop on Ken that day, his friend had barely even glanced at the answer before declaring it incorrect; then he’d simply set it aside and turned his attention back to his computer. Since Ikki had known full well that his answer was correct, it had set off alarms in his head; what had set off even more alarms, as he’d taken a moment to really, truly look at his friend, was the realization that Ken hadn’t actually been working on anything, but had been staring unseeing at a blank screen.

It had taken a lot of convincing, cajoling, and alcohol to get Ken to admit the truth about her condition; despite Ken’s connections to several well-respected neurosurgeons, no one had been able to find the cause of her amnesia. Worse, Ken finally admitted once Ikki had gotten him drunk enough, her amnesia had actually started to get _worse_; that night had been the first time he’d ever gotten Ken so drunk that the older man had actually begun to slur his words, as he told Ikki that she had not only lost all of her long-term memory, but she had begun to lose her _short-term_ memory as well.

Ikki had only met her a couple times, but the thought had rather horrified him, and not only for Ken’s sake. She’d been so sweet during their few encounters in Ken’s lab, and she’d been so clearly enamoured of Ken that it had warmed his heart. There’d just been something… special… about her, and it hadn’t just been the fact that his eyes hadn’t worked on her. That was why he’d decided to pay her a visit after Ken had told him the truth. And, ultimately, that was what had led him here to this moment now.

Sneaking into the hospital after midnight, to break her out.

Finally, an untold, nerve-wracking time later, he was at her door. He didn’t bother knocking, not wanting to risk someone down the hall hearing, and he slid the door open silently to slip inside. Closing it behind him, he turned to face her bed, giving her his most charming smile as he did.

“I’ve come to rescue you, fair maiden.”

“I- Ikki?” Her voice was soft, unsure, her eyes wide and almost fearful. He nodded, happy that she’d remembered his name so quickly this time. It had taken her a few minutes the last time he’d visited, and he had a feeling that it had only been with the help of the spirit that he was unable to see. Not that he doubted Orion’s existence at this point, not when he’d come this far already.

“That’s right,” he reassured her, keeping his tone gentle and encouraging. “Do you remember what we’re doing tonight?”

She looked, not at him, but off to his left, her head tilting as if she was listening to someone. Ikki couldn’t hear anything, but he didn’t need to in order to know that Orion was reminding her of their plan. Her wide, green eyes returned to him a moment later; she seemed to gather herself before she nodded, and answered; “We’re escaping.”

“We are, indeed.” He smiled warmly, and stepped slowly to her bedside. He held out to her the bag he’d brought along; it held a nurse’s uniform in her size, ‘borrowed’ for the occasion, and she took it hesitantly. He was dressed in a doctor’s outfit himself, all the better to blend in and get them both out of the hospital safely. “I’m going to step into the bathroom so you can change. Just knock on the door when you’re ready, alright?”

“I will,” she told him, and gave him a hesitant little smile. It made something in his chest tighten, something that he quickly pushed down as he stepped into the room’s small bathroom and closed the door behind him to give her privacy.

Alone with his thoughts, they inevitably drifted to his previous visits with her that had led this this evening. The first had been only a day after he’d managed to get the truth out of Kent; she’d still remembered him without much trouble at that point, and he’d spent an hour or so keeping her company, keeping her engaged and slowly getting a feel for how bad her condition really was. She had seemed to enjoy his visit, but even then, her failing memory had been clear, enough so that Ikki had made it a point to stop by the day after, and again the day after that.

It had taken two week’s worth of visits as her memory slowly worsened, some with Ken, some without, and a long discussion about the magic of his eyes and how they’d come about, for her to trust him enough to tell him her secret; the reason the doctors hadn’t been able to find the cause of her amnesia was because it wasn’t medical in origin, but magical. She’d told him about colliding with a spirit named Orion, about how he’d caused her to lose her memories, and about how the only way to get better was to stimulate her mind- something that was close to impossible while trapped in a hospital room. And while he hadn’t entirely believed her at first… well, Ikki wasn’t a stranger to impossible things. Now here he was, a week later, getting ready to sneak her out of the hospital before her condition could get any worse than it already had.

If this didn’t work, Ken was going to kill him.

A knock on the bathroom door pulled him out of his worries about just _how _exactly Ken would kill him if this failed; he took a moment, both to drag his thoughts back into the present, and to give her a moment longer in case she needed it, then opened the door and stepped back out into the room itself.

She stood a few steps away from the bathroom door, dressed in the nurse’s uniform he’d brought. It fit her perfectly, thankfully, and she ran her hands down the front of the dress, hesitantly smoothing it out. She’d already put on the simple slip-on shoes he’d brought for her as well, leaving behind the circulation socks that in-patients usually wore. All that was needed to complete the look was…

“Here, let me get your hair for you.”

It was still down and free, other than the braids and rose she usually wore, and she hadn’t yet put on the cap that came with the uniform. Ikki waited for her to nod her permission before he moved to her, placing his hands gently on her shoulders. He turned her tenderly, reaching to undo her braids with lithe, practiced fingers. He could feel her begin to relax a little as he combed his fingers through her hair gently, making sure to get out all of the tangles carefully before he pulled it back into a loose ponytail, tying it off with the hairtie from one of her braids. Finally, he reached for the cap where it sat on the hospital bed, turning her once more so he could settle it atop her head.

“Now you’ll blend in perfectly,” he told her with a smile. “Whenever you’re ready, we can go.”

He knew sooner would be better, really, but he wasn’t going to push her any faster than she could go, not in her condition. She needed stimulation, not stress, and he needed to get her out and back to Ken in one piece.

“I-” she started, then cut herself off and inhaled deeply. She let the air back out slowly, shook her head a little, and then looked up at him. Her voice was stronger when she spoke than it had been for almost a week, her eyes brighter, as she told him, “Let’s go.”

“Stick close to me, and we’ll be just fine.” He put all the confidence and surety he could into his voice. She nodded in return, stepping up to his side, and without any further delay, he led her to the door and out into the hall.

It was, thankfully, empty. Rather than lead her out the way he’d come in, he turned and started them in the opposite direction; it was a longer route out of the hospital going this way, but he really didn’t want to risk the nurse he’d sweet talked getting upset if she saw him with another ‘nurse.’ He kept their pace slow, all too aware that she had been mostly abed for over a month now, and he kept his ears perked, listening for any footsteps and hoping to hell they wouldn’t run into anyone else on the way.

Their luck held until they had almost reached the exit; they were only two turns away when Ikki heard footsteps approaching from around the corner, moving far faster than they were, and far faster than he would have preferred. With hardly a split second to decide how to handle the situation, Ikki fell back on one of the things he knew best.

“_Follow my lead_,” he whispered quickly, and then pulled her into his arms; he pulled both of them into the recessed doorway of a room, turning them so that his body mostly blocked hers. She tensed immediately against him, but didn’t push or pull away, staying exactly where he’d put her. As the footsteps rounded the corner, Ikki dipped his head to kiss her forehead as chastely as he could, relying instead on their positioning and body language to tell the desired tale.

He heard the footsteps falter, heard a man grumble under his breath about ‘_appropriate workplace behavior_,’ and then he heard the footsteps pick up once more, the man continuing on his way without another word.

Ikki waited, holding both of them there, although he drew his head up and cocked it, listening. Once the footsteps faded completely, he immediately stepped back, looking down at her worriedly.

“I’m sorry, I know that wasn’t part of the plan. Are you alright?”

Her face was flushed a bright pink, her eyes rounded and wide, her mouth open in a look of frozen shock. She shivered, an act that sent a frisson of concern through him, then shook her head quickly, as if shaking off her shock.

“N- no, I’m. I’m alright, let’s just- go.”

“Only if you’re sure,” he answered, his eyes narrowing as he looked her over slowly. He hadn’t intended or wanted to shock her the way he clearly had, even if it had done the trick. She nodded though, and while her cheeks were still a lovely shade of pink, her eyes were firmer than he’d seen them in awhile.

“I’m sure,” she said, and seemed to pull herself together. The sight eased some of his concern, and he nodded in return.

“Let’s get you out of here.”

And he lead her the rest of the way out of the hospital without incident.


	5. In Relief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She awoke in an unfamiliar room, to the sound of someone knocking on the door, and she could hear Ikki moving in the outer room, as if to answer. Was he having company right now, while harboring her? Or had someone managed to trace her escape back to Ikki, and they’d come looking for her? Were they here to take her back? Would he let them? She exchanged nervous looks with Orion, and they could hear the front door open; the sound was followed by a man’s voice, speaking somewhat shortly and sharply, although she couldn’t hear exactly what was being said. That voice, though…
> 
> She _knew_ that voice, although she couldn’t remember how, or where from. She focused on that voice, listening as the man exchanged terse words with Ikki, and she tried to put a face to that voice. '_Kent_,' her mind supplied. That voice belonged to a man named Kent... and Kent was...
> 
> _Kent was the man who had taken her to the hospital._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _23\. in relief_
> 
> This takes place after [Prompt 38. Because They're Running Out Of Time](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20425151/chapters/48603692).

She woke in an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar room, which in of itself wasn’t entirely an unfamiliar situation; she had a thought that, recently, she’d often woken up in an unfamiliar place, even if it _shouldn’t_ have been unfamiliar. It was a thought that was, in of itself, confusing. But that unfamiliar place that should have been familiar… That wasn’t _this_ place. That had been… a hospital room? Always the same hospital room, even if often she hadn’t recognized it at first, but definitely a hospital room. The room she was in now, the bed she was laying in… definitely didn’t belong to a hospital.

‘_We’re at Ikki’s home_.’

She knew that voice that was less a voice, and more a thought; Orion, the spirit who was always there with her, no matter what. She looked towards his voice, and there he was, just to one side of the bed. His expression was a mixture of concern and reassurance, and he smiled at her just a little.

‘_Do you remember last night?_’

Last night… Did she? She closed her eyes, blocking out the unfamiliar room, and tried to focus. She remembered… a handsome, charming man in doctor’s clothes, but not a doctor. ‘Ikki,’ her mind supplied, echoing the name Orion had said only a moment ago. She remembered… leaving the hospital, sneaking out with Ikki. She remembered him shielding her from being caught, and a cab ride, and- coming here. To Ikki’s home.

‘_I remember_,’ she thought back, opening her eyes and looking around the room once more. Ikki had brought her here, because she couldn’t remember how to get to her own home, and it would have been the first place they would have looked for her at. If it was even still hers after… How long had she been in the hospital? She didn’t know, she was missing so much time, everything had begun to blend together so much recently. ‘_He did it,_’ she focused on instead, her thoughts tinged with something like amazement. ‘_He really helped us escape_.’

‘_You were right to trust him_,’ Orion answered, and his smile grew wider. She shook her head in response, even as she smiled back.

‘_I trusted him because you did,_’ she told him, and it was the truth. There was so much she couldn’t remember these days; her memory just kept getting worse and worse, and she couldn’t rely on herself any more. But Orion… Orion was always there for her, and could remember so much more, so much better. Even as everything else faded more and more from her mind, she _knew_ she could still rely on him, at least. So while she didn’t, entirely, remember the day they’d told Ikki the truth and asked for his help, she knew that she only would have done so because Orion must have trusted him. 

Before Orion could respond, they were interrupted by the distant sound of someone knocking on the apartment door. The sound was followed by the sound of movement- Ikki in the outer room, she thought- and something like alarm worked its way through her. Was he having company right now, while harboring her? Or had someone managed to trace her escape back to Ikki, and they’d come looking for her? Were they here to take her back? Would he let them? Was-

The bedroom door opened as panic began to set in, and she could see Ikki behind it, as he called back, “I’ll be there in a minute!” Then he was facing her, and while his words were hurried, his expression and tone both full of reassurance. “It’s going to be alright. I have an idea of who it is, and it should be fine once I explain things, but even if it’s not who I think, I’m going to keep you safe. I’m not going to let anyone take you back, okay?”

She nodded, her building panic abating just a little, and thinking about what she and Orion had just talked about, she told him, “I trust you.”

He smiled, coming into the room far enough to reach out and tousle her hair. Then whoever was at the door knocked again, harder and longer this time, and he turned towards the door, moving back to it and through it, and closing it behind him.

She exchanged nervous looks with Orion, both of them listening closely as Ikki’s footsteps grew softer. The footsteps stopped a moment later, and they could hear the front door open; the sound was followed by a man’s voice, speaking somewhat shortly and sharply, although she couldn’t hear exactly what was being said. That voice, though…

She _knew_ that voice, although she couldn’t remember how, or where from. That voice _meant_ something to her, made her feel both safe and… worried? Not afraid, but- concerned. She focused on that voice, listening as the man exchanged terse words with Ikki, and she tried to put a face to that voice. He was… tall, she thought, and she remembered- looking up at him, even with both of them seated at the cafe table, he was so tall. She remembered terse words, an insistence that she be clear about what she wanted, to tell him plainly. She remembered- sitting across from him somewhere else as well, in a small apartment, looking up at him as he laid out all his reasonings, and-

‘_It’s Kent!_’ Orion exclaimed, and- she _knew_ that name, didn’t she? Just like she knew that voice. Kent was… Kent was-

‘_He- took us to the hospital,_’ she thought, and instinctively she grabbed at the blanket covering her, pulling it up to her chest as if she could hide behind or beneath it. She remembered it now- or part of it, at least. He’d laid out all the possible reasons he’d considered for the change in her behavior, and then told her plainly that he knew the truth of her amnesia. Then he’d just- taken her away, without giving her any choice whatsoever, insisting that it was for her own good.

The memory brought a tight feeling to her chest, an echo of the fear and panic that had thrummed through her that day, the need to run and the inability to do so- then, or now. He’d been right there then, a gentle but firm hand on her shoulder, or arm, or back, guiding her inexorably towards her fate. And now, he was out there with Ikki, and she was trapped in Ikki’s bedroom with no other escape. If he came in here, if he saw her-

She was aware that her breathing was growing shorter, shallower, that her panic was rising again and that she needed to calm down, but before it could completely overtake her, Kent’s voice rose in the outer room, the words themselves unclear, but the tone _crystal _clear in its rebuke. Then there were footsteps, and the bedroom door was wrenched open, and he was _there_.

He was just as tall as her memory had said he was, if not more so, and he was staring down at her with a stricken look in his eyes. He froze there in the doorway for a moment, those green eyes looking her up and down, and she was torn between wanting to shrink back from those piercing eyes, and- wanting to move _towards_ him? Wanting to reach _out_ to him, to ease that look in his eyes and comfort him. Then he was moving, before she could do either, and suddenly he was beside the bed; he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tightly against his chest, and he held her with something like need as he pressed his lips to the top of her head.

“Ken, I-” she heard Ikki say from the door, although her face pressed into Kent’s dark coat as it was, she couldn’t see him. Kent cut him off sharply, his voice tense above her head.

“_No_.” She could feel as he ran a gloved hand over her head, petting her hair down with a movement that was surprisingly gentle- she could remember, suddenly, the way he’d pressed down so hard the first time he’d touched her hair, painfully so as he attempted to mimic- what had he been trying to mimic? She couldn’t remember, but this time… His touch was nothing but tender, almost trembling, and he kissed her hair again, before continuing, “I don’t know _what _reasoning you have for removing her from the hospital, but you have done nothing but put her at risk. You are not equipped to care for her needs, nor are you qualified to see to her condition.”

His voice was ice, frozen solid and unyielding, and she shivered in his arms, as if that cold had physically stolen over her. They were- friends, weren’t they? Ikki and Kent? That sounded right- _felt_ right- but for him to speak so coldly, when Ikki had only tried to help her… If his words were enough to make _her_ feel cold, when she barely remembered him, she couldn’t imagine how Ikki had to feel. She didn’t _want_ to imagine it, and she didn’t want _Ikki_ to feel that way, not for her sake or over her condition.

“Kent,” she said, her voice muffled by his chest, and she tried to pull away gently. His grasp loosened immediately, his hands moving to her shoulders as he let her pull back and looked down to her. She gathered herself as best she could, amidst her confusion, unsurety, and lingering panic, and swallowed thickly so she could continue. “Ikki is helping me. He’s only doing what I asked him to- and I’m grateful that he did.”

‘_Exactly_,’ Orion agreed enthusiastically, although Kent wouldn’t be able to hear him. It made her feel better nonetheless, the spirit’s support a comfort with everything else so uncertain. She didn’t look at him, though, instead keeping her eyes fixed on Kent’s, watching him cautiously.

“Ikkyu cannot help you,” Kent said, and she thought he might be trying to be gentle with his words, even if he might have come off as distant to someone who didn’t know him. And she knew him- didn’t she? Or- she’d been getting to know him? There was so much- _so much_\- she couldn’t remember, but somehow she could still tell that he wasn’t just being distant or cold. Somehow, she could tell that he was _trying_. “If there is to be any hope of recovering your memories, you must remain in the hospital where you can be cared for and the doctors are able to treat you.”

“No,” she told him, and she surprised both herself and Kent with how firm her voice was. If nothing else, she knew this. “Since I entered the hospital, I’ve done nothing but get worse, and forget even more than I already had. But since just waking up today, I’ve already started to remember things.”

They were little and big things both; the way Kent had looked sitting at a table across from her in a cafe; the way he’d roughly pet her head, unused to touching others and unsure of how hard or gentle he should be; the way his voice could seem distant even when he didn’t mean it to; the way his touch had guided her on the way to the hospital. They were things both important and not. Things she’d forgotten since entering the hospital- but had already remembered just since waking up today.

She met his eyes bravely, putting every bit of confidence in her words that she could. “I don’t need to go back to that environment where my memory only got worse. The doctors weren’t helping me, and they knew it. You knew it too, didn’t you?”

There was a moment of pure silence. She held his gaze steadily, despite all the turmoil and fear that still swirled within her. She watched as several emotions seemed to flash behind his eyes, warring with each other. And then Ikki broke the silence, and she was surprised to realize that he’d moved from the door to just behind the other man.

“She’s right, Ken.” Ikki’s voice was soft; he looked like he wanted to lay a hand on Kent’s shoulder, but just barely stopped himself. Instead, he continued, “You said it yourself, weeks ago. She wasn’t getting any better, only worse. The doctors couldn’t even figure out what was wrong, much less how to help her. It’s the reason I started visiting her.”

She knew her gaze was surprised, as she finally looked from Kent to Ikki at the revelation. She’d hadn’t known that- had she? She didn’t think so, at least, and a quick glance at Orion showed that he was surprised too. Kent, though, when she turned her gaze back to him, looked unsurprised and… almost considering.

“Please,” she said quickly, hoping that he really was considering their words. “I- I don’t want to go back and get even worse. Let me try this- try working at my memory on my own, even if it’s just for a day or two. If something happens, or I keep getting worse, I’ll let you take me back, but I _need_ to try this my way.”

There was another moment of silence; the air in the room was oppressive, as she, Ikki, and Orion all waited for Kent’s answer. She could almost hear her own worried, speeding heartbeat, louder than anything else around, and her breath seemed caught up in her throat. She watched as the line of Kent’s lips thinned, his eyes upon her piercing and intense, holding her pinned more surely than his hands on her shoulders. Then, gently, those hands tightened in a light squeeze, and he nodded once.

“I am willing to give you time,” he said, and she exhaled in relief, even as he continued, “but you cannot stay here.” He let go of her shoulders, standing and stepping back to address she and Ikki both, holding one hand up to forestall any arguments. “It was far too easy to discover where you had gone to after you left the hospital; it will not be long before either the hospital staff or the police track your disappearance to Ikkyu.”

“Where do you suggest we take her,” Ikki asked, grimacing at Kent’s words. “She can’t exactly go back to her own place.”

“I believe that, were I to explain the situation to my parents, they would be willing to host her for a time.”

“You’re her _boyfriend_, Ken; don’t you think your place would be one of the first places they check?” The younger man was giving Kent an incredulous look, his eyebrows arching high. Kent shook his head in return.

“They have already searched for her there, and it will be some time before they think to look there again. If, by then, her condition has shown improvement, I will request assistance from my mother; as she is a lawyer, she may know of some legal precedent that would aid us in this matter. If her condition has _not_ improved by then…” Kent didn’t complete the thought, but he didn’t have to; both she and Ikki knew what he would do if her memory didn’t start to get better.

She looked first to Ikki, who gave her an encouraging nod and small smile; she looked to Orion next, and he smiled as well.

‘_We can do this,_’ the spirit told her, his tone full of cheerful optimism. ‘_We’ll prove to him that this is the best way to get your memory back, and he won’t be able to deny the facts!_’

She nodded, affirming the sentiment to herself as well as to him, and looked up to meet Kent’s gaze as she answered, “I agree to your terms. Let’s go.”


	6. Where It Hurts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt:
> 
> _**Character A**_ tilting _**Character B’s**_ chin up to get a better look at their face and the evidence of the fight. _**A**_ delicately thumbs away the streak of blood by _**B’s**_ mouth, saying nothing as they examine it. After a brief pause, _**B’s**_ heart skips a nervous beat as _**A**_ looks them dead in the eyes. Their voice is quiet and tense, their anger barely restrained.
> 
> “Who did this to you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _04\. where it hurts_
> 
> Set in the universe of [Reshuffle](https://archiveofourown.org/chapters/47467246), taking place some time after Ikki, Kent, and Shin have rescued Heroine from Toma.
> 
> In addition to the 50 kisses prompt, this was also inspired by the prompt in the summary. It didn't go _quite_ the direction I intended, but the spirit of it is still there I think.

She was trembling, she realized slowly, shaking beneath his hands as he guided her gently down to sit on the math lab’s couch. She didn’t want to be trembling, she didn’t want him to see how badly affected she was, but she couldn’t _stop_ trembling, and it was far too late to hide it from him- far too late to hide _any_ of it from him, even though she dearly wanted to.

“Look at me.” His voice was soft, tender, pitched in a way that seemed to command her compliance, and she could no more help the way she immediately looked up to meet his eyes than she could stop her trembling. His gaze was steady, holding her own effortlessly as he reached one hand up to cup her cheek tenderly, and she bit down on the urge to cry as he stroked one gloved thumb along the corner of her mouth. It was a losing battle; when she squeezed her eyes closed to try and avoid the unasked questions lingering in his gaze, it was enough to send a tear sliding treacherously down her cheek. She knew what she would see, if she opened her eyes and looked; the thumb of his blue glove stained with dark, cherry red. She wanted to see neither her blood on his glove, nor the look she knew would be in his eyes at the sight.

There was a rustling of movement, and the feeling of his hand drawing back from her face. She kept her eyes closed, still trembling, and listened. She heard the creaking of the coffee table as he shifted back and hit it. She heard the whisper of fabric being drawn across skin, and imagined that he was pulling first the offending glove off, and then the other as well. She felt, more than heard, the shift in the air as he stood and stepped away from where she sat on the couch; she tracked his footsteps towards Kent’s desk, and then heard the sliding of drawers being opened. There was a clattering noise, the contents of the drawers shifting about with the motion, and then she heard the clang of a metal container hitting the side of the drawer as it was drawn out from it. A few footsteps and a moment later, she felt him before her again, as he crouched down and set his quarry on the coffee table with a light thud. There was the flicking sound of latches being undone, a rattling as he sifted through the contents of the container, and then the sound of thick paper being torn open.

“Who did this to you?” His voice was soft, even now, as soft as his touch as he dabbed gently as the blood that marred the corner of her lips. Much softer than the bite of the antiseptic on the cut the woman’s ring had made when she slapped her, and a world away from the harshness with which the woman had screamed at her for monopolizing his time the way she had. Even so, she flinched, squeezing her eyes closed even tighter than before.

“I- it’s-” she stammered, wanting to deny the whole thing. Wishing she could just sweep it under the rug and away, and forget the entire thing had happened. But her chest was tight, so very, very tight, at the thought of lying to him, and it was hard to breathe through that tightness. She couldn’t do it, even if she knew it would be better if she did. Her breath grew shorter with the effort each one took, grew more shallow, and panic began to well up in her heart, overfilling her thoughts and washing away everything but itself in its wake.

And then she felt him lean forward, felt the lightest touch of his lips brushing the cut on her own lips. She felt his forehead pressing gently against her own, and his hands smoothing down her shoulders and the length of her arms before coming to a rest near her elbows.

“It’s alright,” he told her, and his voice was as gentle as his touch. “You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to. I promise, I’m not going to force it out of you. I’m not going to force you to do _anything_.”

She shuddered beneath his touch, and she remembered… She remembered _him_. Not the man before her now, who had done nothing but help her, care for her, but. The one she had loved once, and had wanted so much to be loved by in return. She remembered everything he had done to her in the name of protecting her. The way it had started small, just insisting that she go home with him so that he could look into everything that had happened. The way that he’d kept her there in his home, stretching out her stray with little promises and zero choices. The way, when he’d found her outside his home not once, but twice, without his permission, he’d yelled at her and dragged her back. She remembered the drugged food and drink he’d secretly given her, and the way he’d forcefully drugged her when she’d realized what he’d been doing to the food. She remembered waking in that tiny cage, and the way he’d stared at her inside as he promised to keep her safe.

And then, she remembered _him_. Not Toma, but _Ikki_. And she opened her eyes, looking up to meet Ikki’s own penetrating cerulean eyes, eyes that could make women fall in love with him with a single glance, but that only ever made her feel _safe_. He’d been her friend before she lost her memories, and her friend after as well. Her _savior_, even, the man who’d come to rescue her from Toma’s gilded cage, along with Shin and Kent, and since that first moment when he’d knelt over where she lay on Toma’s floor, he had done nothing but _actually_ protect her. Not with force, or imprisonment, or drugs, but with care, and concern, and a gentleness that almost felt like… That made her feel _treasured_.

Slowly, she realized that her trembling had stopped. That her breathing had slowed, become deeper, was mirroring Ikki’s own slow and steady breathing. That her panic had receded, and that, no matter what had happened outside of this room, this moment with him, she felt _safe_ again. And she inhaled deeply, and told him without fear,

“There was a woman that I ran into downstairs.” One of his fans- one of his _former_ fans, since he had dissolved the fan club itself back in August. She didn’t specify, but he nodded gently, and she knew he knew. She found herself- not quite tripping over her words, but rushing a little, to reassure him, “She won’t be a problem again; security already escorted her out.”

“Are you okay?” he asked, and she nodded. The movement sent her hair slipping forward between them, obscuring her view of him; he reached up to tenderly brush her hair back behind her ear. “Can I do anything for you? Get you anything?”

“No,” she answered quickly, shaking her head. She reached for him instinctively, as if afraid that he would pull away if she didn’t. He smiled, and simply let her hold to the sleeve she’d caught in her grasp. She added, hesitantly, “Just stay with me?”

“I won’t go anywhere unless you ask me to,” he assured her. She smiled, tentatively, and he leaned in again to lightly kiss her forehead, and then once more, the corner of her mouth where the woman’s ring had cut. “Ken will be here soon; what do you say we look over your math book before he arrives.”

“Mmmm,” she agreed. Then, with a real smile this time, she reached down to her bag to retrieve her workbook.


	7. Without A Motive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was sometime long after midnight, the three of them curled together in bed, when Ikki had the urge to look up from his book, his eyes passing over his lovers one after another. Neither noticed his gaze, both too preoccupied by their work, and it brought something of a smile to his lips as several wicked thoughts ran through his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _37\. without a motive_
> 
> Set in some universe where Ikki, Kent, and the Heroine are together.

It was sometime long after midnight, the three of them curled together in bed, when Ikki had the urge to look up from his book, his eyes passing over his lovers one after another. Neither noticed his gaze, both too preoccupied by their work, and it brought something of a smile to his lips. He wasn’t at all surprised that Ken didn’t notice the shift of his attention; the other man was entirely absorbed in his laptop and research, as usual, and the rest of the world had been tuned out long before now. That _she_ didn’t notice, however…

His grin widened as he shifted his gaze from Ken to their love who lay between them, the woman who had all but changed the world for both of them. Like Ikki, she had a book in her hands; _un_like Ikki, hers was not a book of pleasure, but one of the workbooks Ken had put together specifically for her to puzzle over. There was a look of intense concentration on her dainty face, her lovely green eyes narrowed as her hand moved across the workbook, penciling in equation after equation with studious fervency. Her legs were drawn up close to her body, providing a surface for her workbook to lean back against; it was only the workbook, pinning the hem of her nightgown against her bare legs, that kept any sense of modesty intact, given the way she sat.

Several wicked thoughts ran through Ikki’s mind at once, as his gaze flicked from those bare legs of hers, up to the assiduous look of preoccupation upon her lovely face, then over to where Ken was still equally as engrossed in his work. Smirking, he carefully closed his book and set it aside on the nightstand, moving slowly so as not to alert either of his lovers to the movement. Once he was certain that neither of them had noticed, he moved.

He swooped down swiftly, his hands taking her face between them so he could capture her lips in a sudden, deep kiss. She froze beneath his assault for but a moment; she melted next, moaning softly against his lips and kissing him needily in return. He felt, more than heard, her workbook fall from her lap, tilting haphazardly against his side as her legs fell back down to the bed beneath her, and he took the opportunity to gather her up in his arms and lift her lightly.

She squeaked into his kiss when he did, her arms flying up to loop around his neck and hold to him tightly. He laughed and swallowed the sound of her surprise, his tongue slipping forward to lick into the cavern of her mouth, drawing another soft moan from her in response. Then, shifting to hold her slight form with only one arm, he reached with the other for Ken.

“_Ikkyu_,” he heard the other man start, and it took only a moment to feel that, in the brief time since he’d begun his attack, Ken had already set his laptop aside and out of harm’s way. Without giving him time to get any further than his name, he settled her into Ken’s lap abruptly, breaking his kiss with her to lean forward and steal _his_ lips instead.

And steal his lips he did, kissing the older man deeply, soundly, fervently. It was a battlefield of a kiss, Ikki surging forward and using every trick he knew, nibbling and biting teasingly at Ken’s lips in a fight for dominance. Ken gave no quarter in return, one arm rising to reach behind Ikki, his large hand cupping the back of Ikki’s head and holding him firmly; it was with that hold that he took control of the kiss, biting back, drawing a groan of need from Ikki, keeping him from pulling back even when the need for air began to thrum through him. Then, when Ikki was all but panting against him, Ken let go and leaned back, a small smirk tugging his lips upward.

“Dammit Ken,” Ikki groaned, and the woman between them giggled as Ikki swayed slightly towards the other man. Ken tilted his head in response, arching an eyebrow.

“Is something wrong?” he asked, his smirk growing. Ikki half laughed as he shook his head.

“Nope. Nothing’s wrong at all.”

“Good. Then I trust there was a reason for your interruption of my work?”

“Nope,” Ikki said again, and it was his turn to smirk. “None whatsoever.”

And then he leaned forward to kiss them both again.


	8. To Gain Something

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He watched her from his seat in the corner of the small cafe as the morning went by. Her smile was as brilliant as the sun, and she shared it with young men and women alike as she served them their orders. Her eyes shone like emeralds, a purity in her gaze that would have put the saintliest of angels to shame. The way she looked at him- at every single person to enter the cafe, even- made his blood run cold.
> 
> It was his job to corrupt the innocent, and he was very, _very_ good at his job. And here she was, the purest, most innocent soul that he had ever laid his eyes upon… and she had _summoned_ him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: 35. _to gain something_
> 
> This piece draws from an [additional prompt I came across on tumblr](https://justsomewritingprompts.tumblr.com/post/188857578240/writing-prompt-343-write-this-story), which reads as follows;  
_The way she looked at him made his blood run cold. Her smile was like looking at the sun and her eyes shown like diamonds. It was his job to corrupt the innocent, but he couldn’t bring himself to taint such a magnificent light._
> 
> The setting is an alternate universe with angels and demons.

He watched her from his seat in the corner of the small cafe as the morning went by, his eyes taking in the sight of the young woman who had summoned him the evening before. Her smile was as brilliant as the sun, and she shared it with young men and women alike as she served them their orders. Her eyes shone like emeralds, a purity in her gaze that would have put the saintliest of angels to shame. The way she looked at him- at every single person to enter the cafe, even- made his blood run cold.

It was his job to corrupt the innocent, and he was very, _very_ good at his job, thanks in no small part to his ‘gift.’ All it took was a single look into his eyes, and there wasn’t a human woman alive- or dead, for that matter- who could resist his will. Hells, his gift sometimes even worked on men, when the situation was just right. And here she was, the purest, most innocent soul that he had ever laid his eyes upon… and she had _summoned_ him.

It was his _duty_ to take her, to bring her down and seal the fate of her soul for eternity… but he couldn’t bring himself to taint such a magnificent light.

There was a fluttering sound beside him, and he didn’t need to look to know that he was no longer alone at his corner table.

“Ikkyu,” the angel said in greeting. Ikki held back a snort at the millennia old nickname, and answered in return,

“Ken.” He paused, silence falling between them for a moment, and then he continued, his tone glib, “if you stopped by for a bite to eat, I highly recommend the Maid’s Handmade Parfait. The lovely maid over there makes it herself, and she’s so pure, you can practically taste it in everything she makes.”

“I am no more here for mortal food than you are,” Ken replied, his tone all business. Ikki rolled his eyes.

“You need to lighten up, you know that? All work and no play makes for a _very_ dull eternity.” As if to prove his point, Ikki picked up the coffee he’d ordered and sipped at it leisurely, finally turning to face his… ‘friend’ wasn’t quite the right word for the relationship he shared with Ken, but it was as close to it as he could get. “So, what brings you to my corner of the world?”

“The same thing that brought you here yourself.” The angel gave him a flat look before shifting his eyes to look back at the maid in question. Ikki didn’t follow his gaze, having already seen more than enough of her innocent light than he cared for. “You must know that a soul as pure as hers will not be relinquished to you without a fight.”

“_She_ called _me_ here, Ken. I didn’t go looking for her, I answered a summons. You know as well as I do that I’m perfectly in the right to collect on that call.” His voice was flatter than he intended it to be, something bitter seeping into his words, and he made no effort to hide it. He was right, and they both knew it… just as much as they both knew that he had no _desire_ to collect upon her call. He might have tried lying to himself about it, and he _certainly _would have lied to another demon, but with Ken… Ken had known him long enough that it wasn’t worth the effort to try.

“She is in a rather unique situation, one which has placed a great amount of stress upon her. She had no idea what exactly she was calling upon when she called for help.”

“Well you’ve got that part right at least,” Ikki said, and his laugh was short and sharp. “Who the hell let Orion go off on his own, by the way? He’s too young to be running around the mortal realms without supervision.”

The angel didn’t answer immediately, but instead continued to watch the young woman in question as she went about her duties. Ikki sighed, and contemplated the situation that had brought them both here. The situation that had caused her to summon him in the first place.

Orion, an angel young enough that the war of the heavenly realms had long gone cold by the time of his creation, had managed to entangle himself spiritually with a human. Ikki wasn’t sure exactly _how _it had happened, but he knew from her summons that the entanglement had driven out all of the young woman’s memories, leaving her a struggling amnesiac fighting just to make it through her day to day life. He knew, too, that shortly after the entanglement, her ability to communicate with Orion had been somehow cut off from her. Frightened and uncertain, she had turned to the occult, researching and searching for a way to contact Orion again. Unfortunately for her, the ritual she had found and attempted… had reached Ikki instead.

“Nhil has gone missing.” Ken’s voice was calm as it broke the silence between them, but his words were jarring nonetheless. _Nhil_ was missing? Well, that explained why Orion had been out in the mortal realms; Orion absolutely _adored_ the older angel, who had acted as a mentor and role model for many of the angels created after the fall.

“_Shit_,” Ikki said, and there was feeling behind the word. He frowned, his eyes narrowing as he looked to Ken. “For what it’s worth, I haven’t heard anything about that- and that’s _not_ something that could go down without my hearing of it.” If demons had had anything to do with the disappearance of an angel as high ranking as Nhil, Ikki’s network would have caught wind of it and alerted him. That they hadn’t meant that the disappearance wasn’t demonic in origin.

Ken nodded, his own eyes narrowed and troubled, and replied, “That is worth quite a bit.”

Ikki looked away from the angel abruptly, turning his gaze back to his target. There was something far too blunt and honest in Ken’s open acceptance of his words, and it stirred something deep in his heart, tugged at things that were better left undisturbed. It was strangely painful. Almost as painful as the sight of her innocent light.

“You know I can’t let her go,” Ikki finally told the other, his voice grim. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Ken nod. It was a truth that couldn’t be avoided, and they both knew it. Except…

“Nor can-” Ken started, and Ikki turned back to him, interrupting him smoothly as an idea came to him.

“Unless…” Ikki drawled with a haughty voice, smirking at the angel. It was enough to draw Ken’s attention from the woman to Ikki himself, his brows furrowed.

“Unless?” Ken echoed, his frown deep.

“How do you feel about making a deal with a devil?”

Ken stared at him. Ikki cocked his head and an eyebrow in return. Ken’s brow furrowed further.

“What would this deal involve?” the angel asked, and Ikki laughed lightly.

“The maid’s soul, of course. What else?”

“What would you want in return for it?”

Ikki shrugged, telling him casually, “We can figure that out as we go. Nothing you wouldn’t be willing to give. So what do you say?”

Blue eyes met green as angel and demon considered each other carefully. Ikki could _feel_ the weight of Ken’s stare, could feel as the other weighed the millennia of their history with each other against the sweetly shining soul of the young maiden, and the orders of heaven itself. 

And then Ken nodded once.

Ikki stepped forward in tandem with the angel to seal their agreement. When their lips met, it was as chaste a kiss as Ikki had ever given for a deal, and as deep and meaningful a kiss as Ikki have ever received.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I..... may have to write more in this verse, cause. Ikki and Kent are just way too perfect as demon and angel. >.> _Waaaaaaaaay_ too perfect. XD


	9. Because the World is Ending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The year is 2077. Kent and the Heroine have embarked on a fully paid internship, sponsored by Vault-Tec Corporation, to the city of Washington D.C., America. As part of their internship, they have received invitations to one of Vault-Tec's exclusive underground vaults, built to provide humanity with a better future, underground, in case of nuclear war. Never did either of them imagine they would have cause to enter that vault. But on October 23rd, the previously peaceful early morning air was split by the shriek of sirens, bringing pure terror to the hearts of all that heard.
> 
> Because war. War never changes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _40\. because the world is ending_
> 
> Secondary Prompt: [An edited version of Hozier's Wasteland, Baby!](https://PanickedPansexualPrincess.tumblr.com/post/189120430757/bassiter-wasteland-baby-by-hozier-except-over) with the following text:
> 
> _Wasteland, Baby! by Hozier except over the radio in your underground shelter, in an attempt to drown out the sound of the world coming to an end aboveground. From the cot across from you, your lover reaches out to draw you into their embrace. You inhale their familiar scent and smile into their shoulder. Whether the two of you make it out alive or not, you’re oddly at peace._
> 
> The setting for this is a crossover with the Fallout video games; it follows Kent's good ending, except that Kent and the Heroine are going to Washington D.C. for an internship. The crossover is minor enough that it should still be readable, even if you're unfamiliar with Fallout. TL;DR, the world bombed itself to oblivion, and many people took shelter in underground vaults.

She was trembling, she knew, but she couldn’t help it. They were safe now, they’d made it through what had quite suddenly become the worst day of her life, and she knew that they now had a new life laid out before them, just waiting to be lived… but she’d been running on adrenaline since the moment those awful, ear-piercing sirens had sent her entire world reeling, and it was only now, as she lay curled on her side on a flat, slightly stiff, entirely utilitarian, and unfamiliar mattress that it caught up with her.

She pursed her lips together, swallowing back a shivering whine, and she shifted her hand seekingly to find the arm that wound around her waist; she was careful not to grip his hand too tight as she held to it, trying to ground herself in the surety of his hold, in the way his arm held her securely even as he slept, in the feel of him pressed reassuringly against her back.

She didn’t know what she would have done if it wasn’t for him.

The sound of the sirens had sent her into almost a blind panic, terror thrilling through her entire being as the realization that it had actually happened, that the world was about to be swallowed in the flames of war, had hit her, but Kent… 

_“It’s- it’s happening, Kent! The radio said there have been confirmed hits in New York- Phil- Philadelphia! If they’ve sent bombs there, then-”_

_“Then this city is sure to be a target as well, yes. We have little time to act.”_

His voice had been so calm, despite his certainty of what they were about to be subject to, and his gaze had been steady as he moved toward her, his large hands taking her shoulders within them gently. She remembered the first prickling sting of unshed tears in her eyes as she’d looked up to him fearfully; he had pinned her with that steady gaze, and continued on just as calmly as before.

_“The vault is not far; if we leave immediately and move quickly, we can reach it within three minutes by foot. We do not have time to panic. Put on your shoes; I will retrieve our emergency bag and meet you at the door.”_

She’d nodded, drawing as much strength as she could from his steadiness, and he’d released her shoulders and moved into the bedroom of their small apartment. By the time she’d gotten her shoes on and was ready to go, he’d returned to the front door, and-

Everything after that was a blur. She shivered, remembering only vaguely the way they’d fled their apartment building, the pure panic that had been clear in every single person they’d passed as they’d run towards the entrance to the vault. There’d been people screaming, people crying. People running just as they were, and people frozen in fear in the streets. The ear-splitting shrieks of the sirens had continued the entire time, an ever-present reminder that the world was ending around them, and that they would soon join it in the nuclear fires of death. Kent’s hand had held hers firmly the entire way, despite the fact that he could have easily outpaced her and left her behind; it could have been his death warrant if she had been too slow, and he’d still held tightly to her.

She only barely remembered making it to the vault entrance. Her breath had been ragged from their run, her heart pounding so hard she could feel its pulse through her entire body, the sound of it deafening to her ears. Kent had been composed, had led her inside and dealt shortly with the security within. She’d clung to his hand still, her senses so full of panic and fear that she’d had trouble parsing the rapid-fire English he’d engaged them in; soon enough they’d waved them through, convinced of Kent’s credentials, and after that…

A blur. She remembered… changing into the form fitting vault suit that was to be their new uniform for life… checking in at the medical ward of the vault, going through the shortest evaluation she’d ever experienced, and then being waved off as the doctor turned to the next resident waiting… being shown to their new home, a tiny suite with barely enough room for two adults to share. There’d been a meeting called, every single resident of the vault crammed into a cafeteria as their new overseer addressed them from above, welcoming them to their new, better future underground. They’d been released after, free to settle in for the day, work assignments to come on the morrow, and she and Kent had returned to their rooms. Exhausted by the day, she’d excused herself to bed, Kent joining her not long after, and now…

Now it was catching up with her. All the terror and panic and fear she’d put off had returned tenfold, no longer held at arm’s length by the strength of Kent’s steady reassurance. Her grip tightened on his arm around her waist, and this time, when she felt the pinpricks of tears in her eyes, she could no longer hold them back. She bit down hard on her lower lip, struggling to fight down a sob, her shoulders shaking with the effort, and it escaped nonetheless, shattering the silence that had blanketed them.

Kent’s body against hers tensed, and she shuddered, a shard of self-loathing stabbing through her for waking him. Before he could say a word, she shifted, turning in his arms to bury herself into his chest. Her name fell from his lips, his voice worried, heavy with concern; his arms shifted, his hands moving to her shoulders to try and pull her back. She resisted, wrapping her arms around him tightly and clinging as closely as she could. He froze for a moment, as if unsure, and then, slowly, he wrapped his arms around her once more; one arm slipped up her back, his large hand cupping the back of her head and holding her gently where she lay, and… Finally. _Finally_. She broke apart in his arms, no longer holding back her sobs. Finally letting everything that had happened wash over her and through her, as he held her tenderly to him.

She didn’t know how long they lay there like that. It seemed like forever, like a lifetime of sorrow and tears and fear. Kent held her steadily through it all. He didn’t say a word, but he didn’t need to; his arms around her were a lifeline, his very presence grounding her firmly through the sea of her tears. Eventually, her tears fell off, drying slowly, and her shaking subsided. When he tried to pull her back once more, she let him, looking up to meet his steady green gaze with eyes that were bloodshot and still stung from the salt of her tears. His hand came to cup her cheek gently, and she pressed her face into his touch. After a moment, he let go and carefully wiped away the faint wetness that still stained first one cheek, then the other.

“Are you-” he started, and then broke off. His voice was thicker than she had ever heard it, and she saw something like uncertainty flash through his eyes. She had a flash of insight, remembering the last and only time he had seen her cry like this. Things had been so different back then; _he_ had been so different, and so had she. He hadn’t understood then, hadn’t known how deeply her pain had cut her, and he hadn’t known how to handle her sorrow and tears. And in the flicker of uncertainty in his eyes, she saw that he wasn’t entirely sure what to do now either.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, biting down on her lower lip again and lowering her gaze. “I just-”

“You have no need to be sorry,” he interrupted her, and his fingers curled beneath her chin, nudging it up so he could meet her eyes again. He cupped her cheek in his hand again; she leaned into it and raised her own hand to hold his there. When he spoke, it was somewhat haltingly, his voice laced with his uncertainty. “I do not- I'm uncertain… of what you need right now. I don’t wish to add to the tears you have shed.”

She shook her head in return, still holding his hand in place, holding on to it like a lifeline. She told him, her voice soft, “You won’t. This isn’t like it was then.”

She closed her eyes then, letting silence fall between them for a moment, focusing on the feel of him. Of the gentleness of his touch where he cupped her cheek. Of the tender way his other arm wrapped around her. She let the feel of him steady her, ground her. When she opened her eyes to meet his gaze once more, she felt firmer. More sure of herself.

“I’m worried, Kent. I’m afraid. We made it to safety, but… I don’t know what life here will be like, and-” She paused, looking away for just a moment. She tried to hold onto the steadiness that Kent gave her simply by being there, but she couldn’t help the way her voice wavered as she continued, “I don’t know what happened to our friends.”

Sawa and Mine. Toma and Shin. Ikki, and even Waka. Their _parents_. The people they’d left behind in Japan when they came to this internship. Vault-Tec had no vaults in Japan, no reach beyond America and what had once been Canada. She knew that Kent’s parents had invested in a personal shelter several years past, one large enough to host his family and a number of others in case of an event such as a nuclear bombing; she also knew that Kent’s parents had personally invited Ikki to join them there. But what of the others?

She hated to admit, she hadn’t paid nearly enough attention to what other kind of safety measures were available in Japan; she hadn’t thought they would ever _need_ anything like that. The only reason she and Kent had even had entrance into _this _vault was because it had been granted as part of their internship.

She saw understanding rise in Kent’s eyes. He nodded, licked his lips, and answered,

“There’s no way to be certain of their fate- not at the moment, at least. Perhaps, in the future, there will be a way to contact somewhere as far away as Japan, once the radiation levels have fallen. For now, I can only say that, if they had the chance, they would have made their best effort to reach my parents’ shelter.”

“I know your parents would have, and Ikki, but what about the others?” She frowned, unsure, and she was surprised when Kent averted his eyes, his cheeks visibly flushing even in the darkness of the night.

“I spoke with my parents about issuing an invitation to your parents, as well as Waka and your coworkers, in November of last year. As last I was aware, Waka had accepted their invitation and passed it on it to everyone at Meido no Hitsuji; your parents had done the same.”

“Oh.” She knew her eyes had widened at his words, and she could feel her own cheeks flush just as surely as his had. The only reason Kent would have had to ask his parents such a thing was for her sake, and knowing that not only he had done so, but that his parents had _accepted_… She whispered, softly, “thank you.”

It wasn’t the same as knowing that the people they cared about were safe… but it was _hope_. Hope that Kent had given her when she’d had none.

“Thank you,” she said again, and she pushed herself up from his arms to lay a soft, tender kiss on his lips. His eyes widened a little, and he flushed further; a moment later, both their eyes slid closed as he drew her back for another, longer kiss. When they pulled apart again, she gave him a soft, shy smile, and told him, “I’ll be okay. I have hope now… and I have you.”

As far as she was concerned for now, that was all she needed.


	10. In a Rush of Adrenaline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _[A:] “How many times have you been warned about this?” _
> 
> _[B:] “Obviously not enough, since I went and did it anyways.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _22\. in a rush of adrenaline_
> 
> Set in a universe that started out as Ikki's route, and ended with Ikki, Kent, and the Heroine together. Inspired by the prompt in the summary, found [here on tumblr](https://PanickedPansexualPrincess.tumblr.com/post/189027360532). A silly bit of fluff that I hope you guys enjoy!

“How many times have you been warned about this?”

Ken’s voice was low and flat, and even without seeing it, Ikki knew exactly what expression was on the other man’s face at the moment. Rather than turn around to verify it, he laughed quietly and craned his neck to peer around the corner of the building the two of them were flattened up against, searching for any signs of their pursuers.

“Obviously not enough,” he answered back, his own voice low as well. He couldn’t _see_ anyone around the corner, but that didn’t mean that they were scott free yet, and he continued lightly, “since I went and did it anyway.”

“You could have at least waited until we had entered the museum to remove your sunglasses.” It was the closest to growling that he’d ever heard from the other man, and he had to suppress the amused snicker that tried to escape in response. “As it is, if we do not leave leave these women behind and get there soon, we will be late to meet her.”

“Well, it wouldn’t be the first time she’s had to wait on one of us,” Ikki answered, and in that, at least, he felt somewhat abashed. It had been a long time since those days when she’d been forced to wait on him on an almost daily basis, but that didn’t mean he didn’t regret the way things have been back then. Especially since here they were now, so far removed from those early days of dating, and he was going to make her wait yet again.

“If you wish to brood, Ikkyu, do so later. We are on a schedule,” Ken admonished, and Ikki pulled himself back from his thoughts forcefully.

Right. She was likely already inside the museum waiting on them.

“I wasn’t _brooding_,” he retorted, and shifted to peer around the corner of the building once more. There was still no sign of their pursuers, thankfully. Hopefully, they really had lost them, and the women wouldn’t be waiting just out of sight, or something equally ridiculous. “I was giving it time to see if they were still coming, but the coast looks clear. We should be good to go.”

Ken made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a disbelieving snort, but didn’t argue the point. Instead, he pushed away from the wall, and Ikki followed his lead. The two of them cautiously stepped out of the alleyway they’d taken cover in, both men keeping their eyes peeled as they moved. Neither man spoke as they walked, opting rather for a quick pace; they weren’t far from the museum, but then, they hadn’t been when Ikki had prematurely taken off his sunglasses and attracted such attention either.

The entrance to the museum was in sight, and Ikki was just starting to think that they’d pulled their escape off, when a high pitched voice cried his name loudly from a few blocks down.

“_Run_,” Ikki said, and without waiting for a reply, he took off, a heady thrill of adrenaline surging through him. He sprinted over the last bit of distance to reach the museum door, Ken overtaking him just soon enough to throw open the door for both of them. He slid in first, slowing only just enough for his pace to be considered a fast power walk, and headed to the interior ticketing booth for the exhibit.

“Unless you already have tickets, we’re sold out for the day,” the waiting attendant said, his tone one of pure boredom, and Ikki grinned.

“_Perfect_,” he answered, and retrieved his ticket from his pocket. “I’ve got one right here. Now if you don’t mind, we have someone waiting for us inside.”

The attendant gave the ticket a cursory look, stamped it, then ushered Ikki inside. He repeated the process with Ken, and told them tiredly, “Enjoy the exhibit.”

As the front doors of the museum opened once more, admitting the gaggle of women who’d been chasing them, Ikki grinned widely, gave the women a cheeky wave, and then grabbed Ken’s hand and pulled him into the exhibit.

As Ken had predicted, their lover was waiting inside and just around the corner, entertaining herself by reading over an information plaque for one of the displays. Still holding Ken’s hand- and rather enjoying the slight flush he could see crawling its way up the other man’s cheeks- Ikki led him over to her.

“Ikki! Kent!” Her smile was as bright as the sun, and twice was blinding, as she turned to greet them. The thrill of the chase still soaring through him, Ikki couldn’t keep his grin from widening even further at the sight of her. He didn’t particularly _want_ to deny the accompanying urge to sweep her into his arms either, so he didn’t. She continued on, getting as far as, “Where have you-” before he let go of Ken and caught her up with both arms, silencing her abruptly with an ardent kiss.

She made a sound that was halfway between a protest and a squeak, and he laughed into the kiss, spinning her around in place so that, when he released her, he could deposit her into Ken’s embrace. Ken caught her almost instinctively, his hands catching her shoulders as her back hit his chest; he steadied her with his touch, where the spin had thrown off her balance, and shot Ikki a look that the younger man ignored blithely.

“Sorry to make you wait, princess, we got a little. Caught up on the way here.” He motioned towards his exposed eyes, his sunglasses still tucked away in his pocket where he’d put them before the entire ordeal began. Comprehension dawned in her lovely green eyes, and she nodded.

“You’re here now,” she replied, and gave him that same, warm, sunny smile from before. Ikki could almost feel the way it made his heart melt; it melted a little more when she turned that smile up to Ken behind her, then turned and rose to her tiptoes to place a light kiss on his cheek. He delighted in the way it made Ken’s cheeks flush even brighter, the red tint creeping up to the tops of his ears as well. Then she stepped free of Ken’s grasp, shifting so she could face them both, and asked, “Shall we head further in?”

“Let’s,” Ikki answered, and the three of them moved towards the next display together.


	11. As a Suggestion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“Isn’t it your bedtime?” _
> 
> _“Hypocrite.”_
> 
> _“Come to bed with me then.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _27\. as a suggestion_
> 
> Inspiration for this one was taken from a [fluff prompt list](https://PanickedPansexualPrincess.tumblr.com/post/189247290447/prompt-masterlist-fluff) I found on tumblr. Random.org kept giving me '5' when I rolled, despite the fact that I already wrote piece about Ikki dragging Kent to bed, so. I flipped it around. XD This is set in a universe where Ikki, Kent, and the Heroine are together.

“Is it not long past time for you to have gone to bed, Ikkyu?”

Ken’s voice broke the silence of the room suddenly, Ikki so absorbed in his studies that he hadn’t heard the other man enter; it was enough to make him badly start, the textbook dropping from his grasp to land on the desk beneath it with a loud _thud_. Giving the offending text something of a scowl, he turned to face Ken next, arching an eyebrow in disbelief.

“I’m pretty sure that _you_ of all people, telling _me_ to go to bed, is one of the most hypocritical things you have ever said to me,” he answered, and his voice was as amused as it was tired. It was true, he’d been at his studies for hours, he wasn’t even sure what time it was at this point, but. Exams were in less than a week, and he _needed _to do well on them. If that meant staying up ridiculously late studying, every night from here until they were through, then so be it.

“Then what about _me_ asking you to come to bed?”

His eyes shifted from Ken to their lover, where she stood beside him, and- good god, was he really so tired that he hadn’t noticed her presence at first? She was giving him something of a challenging look- the kind she usually reserved for Ken whenever the two of them got into one of their passionate debates. The fact that she was directing it at _him_, this time…

“Well, well, well, someone’s feeling a little feisty,” he teased her, his lips quirking up into a grin. She folded her arms over her chest in response, a not-quite-pout forming on her face, and he couldn’t help but chuckle. “Since when do the two of _you _team up against _me_?”

“Since when do you stay up even later than Kent,” she parried; Ikki couldn’t help the louder laugh that escaped him when Ken frowned down at her in return.

“It’s just for a little while longer,” he told her, although he made eye contact with both of them, doing his best to convey his sincerity. “Just until I’m done with these exams. After that, you and I can go back to our regular schedule of teaming up on Ken when he’s up too late.”

“It’s been long enough for one night.” Her words were softer this time, her pout fading into a frown tinged with concern. “What can we do to convince you to give studying a break for the night?”

_That_… Was not playing fair, dammit, not when she was very clearly worried about him.

“Princess,” he started, trying to resign himself to disappointing her, but Ken interrupted him before he could.

“Come to bed with us.” There was an odd quality to Ken’s usually calm and even voice; Ikki had to pause for a moment, run it back through his mind, to realize that he sounded strangely- nervous? No, that wasn’t quite right, but. It was close. “Studies have shown that spending time with your significant others in the bedroom can lead to increased performance in the hippocampus and can strengthen your short-term memory.”

Ikki’s thoughts came screeching to a halt as he processed what Ken- _what **Ken**_\- had just said. What Ken was _suggesting_ as a way to lure Ikki away from his studies to bed. His gaze flicked from their lover up to Ken’s face- which was swiftly turning a charming shade of red- as quickly as _her own_ eyes swept up to stare at him too. A beat of silence passed between them all.

“Are you _actually_ suggesting what I think yo-”

Ken stepped forward quickly, cutting him off with a kiss that answered Ikki’s question as surely as words would have, suggesting _exactly_ what Ikki had thought he was suggesting. Ikki half laughed into the kiss, and then groaned lowly as Ken took his laughter as provocation to deepen the kiss and bite teasingly at his lips, no longer just suggesting, but _promising_. It was a long moment before they pulled apart again, both of them panting ever so slightly. Ikki’s gaze swept over to their lover as Ken stepped back to her side; her eyes were wide, her pupils dilated, and she was biting down on her lower lip, having clearly enjoyed the spectacle.

“What say you,” Ikki asked, suppressing a smirk and knowing full well not only what her answer would be, but what _his_ would be as well.

“What Kent said,” she answered, and he laughed.

“Alright, I admit defeat.” He turned back to the desk, sticking a bookmark in his textbook and setting it back into its place before standing and turning back to them. “Now how about we go do a little scientific testing of that study?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, the studies Kent mentions are [actually](https://blogs.iu.edu/kinseyinstitute/2018/03/30/frequent-sex-is-linked-to-better-memory/) [real](https://www.businessinsider.com/sex-could-improve-memory-2018-6). I did not make them up, and it amuses the hell out of me. XD


	12. As Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was December 23rd, only two days before Christmas, and the first warning that something was wrong came in the form of a text from Ikkyu.
> 
> _Our plans for Christmas day just changed. How would your parents feel about having a few extra guests at dinner?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _30\. as comfort_
> 
> This is set after Ikki's good ending in Spades route, in a universe where Kent became a part of their relationship as well. The holidays are coming up, and. Well, Heroine's father definitely doesn't qualify for any father-of-the-year awards.

It was December 23rd, only two days before Christmas, and the first warning that something was wrong came in the form of a text from Ikkyu.

> _Our plans for Christmas day just changed. How would your parents feel about having a few extra guests at dinner?_

Kent frowned at his phone, his brows furrowing together. He knew the answer without needing to ask, as Ikkyu should have as well; his parents were thoroughly enamored of Ikkyu, and had been since the day they had met him. It was not the potential answer to the question that caused his brows to furrow, however, but the existence of the question itself. While Ikkyu was somewhat distant with his family, he did usually spend the holidays with them, rather than join Kent with his. For him to be asking, and not only for himself, raised several questions.

He was just beginning to type out a response when his phone beeped again, a new text appearing on the screen.

> _Before you ask, things with my family are fine. Things with our princess’ family, however, are not._

His frown twisted as he read the words, and his eyes narrowed. He had not met their lover’s father, as the man lived over two hours away by train, but he knew enough of him both through her, as well as through her former step-brother Toma. Her relationship with him, a man who was prone to cheating and had remarried three times after divorcing her mother, was troubled to begin with; it had only gotten worse when, last year, she had defied him by moving in with Ikkyu, rather than moving in with he and his current wife. Despite that, she had still expressed a desire to see him for the holiday, and had already purchased a ticket for the trip. Ikkyu had offered to go with her, but she had declined, saying that she needed to face him herself; both Kent and Ikkyu had chosen to respect her decision without any further prying into the matter.

Kent found himself suddenly doubting the wisdom of that.

> _What has happened?_

> _I don’t know the full story, but she was crying when I got home, and her train ticket was in the trash._

> _I will be there shortly._

He would talk to his parents later; they were not yet home, and he was confident as to what their answer would be. More important, at the moment, was seeing to her if she was in such distress. Without waiting for a reply from Ikkyu, Kent shut down the research he’d been working on and headed out the door, keeping a brisk pace as he headed for the small apartment that she and Ikkyu shared.

It was a short, if familiar, walk there. He didn’t bother knocking when he arrived, instead unlocking the door with his spare key and slipping inside. As he closed and locked the door behind him, he could hear the soft murmur of Ikkyu’s voice; he followed the sound to the bedroom. What he found was she and Ikkyu sitting on the single bed within, Ikkyu’s arms wrapped around and holding her gently. His gloves were off, laid aside as he pet her hair tenderly, comfortingly, and her head leaned against his shoulder, her red rimmed eyes downcast. Her gaze shifted upward to Kent briefly, as he stepped into the room, and she gave him a tremulous, faltering smile that was cracked around the edges.

“Kent,” she greeted, her voice barely a whisper, and the trembling quality of it made his chest tight in a way that he was wholly unfamiliar with and unused to. He swallowed thickly and moved to the bed, standing beside them as he tried to decide what to do. She made the decision for him, reaching out from Ikkyu’s embrace to take Kent’s hand and pull on it.

He followed her direction, shifting so that he could take a seat on the bed beside them. Ikkyu shifted as well, gently settling her between them as he wrapped one arm behind her and around to Kent. The two of them exchanged a look over her head, an unspoken promise to each other and to her, _for_ her, and then turned their attention to her.

“You know, we’re going to have an amazing Christmas,” Ikkyu said, his voice soft and tender. “We still have reservations for the three of us tomorrow, at that little restaurant Waka recommended. I swear, they have the _best_ shortcake I’ve ever tasted, better even than Ken’s, you’re going to _love_ it. We’ll come home afterwards, exchange our gifts. Just wait till you see how methodical Ken is about opening his gifts and trying to preserve the wrapping paper. Maybe between the two of us, we can convince him to rip into it, just for the hell of it? And then, Christmas day, we’ll go _together_ to Ken’s place.”

Ikkyu gave him a pointed look over her head, as she sniffled softly, and Kent nodded, rubbing her back carefully as he spoke.

“My parents will be more than happy to have the two of you join us for Christmas dinner. You know that you are always welcome in our home, as is Ikkyu.”

“More importantly,” Ikkyu added, ducking his head down to kiss the top of hers lightly, “we’re welcome there _together_. Ken’s parents love us both for being exactly who we are, and _what _we are to their son.”

Something clicked in Kent’s thoughts, as he considered both what Ikkyu was saying, as well as what he _wasn’t _saying. His jaw tightened, his vision seemed to almost flash red for a moment, and he blinked rapidly to clear it away. The hand on her back shifted, moving to curl around her protectively; the other reached in front of her, to take Ikkyu’s free hand in his own, holding to it where she could easily see. The other man squeezed his hand in return, rubbing his thumb along the back of his hand gently.

Her father had known of her relationship with Ikkyu for some time; if Kent remembered correctly, Ikkyu had in fact announced their relationship to the man before she had even decided to move in with him. The addition of her relationship with Kent, or rather, his introduction into she and Ikkyu’s relationship, was something that he knew she had hoped to tell her father when she visited for the holiday. If he understood correctly what Ikkyu was saying without saying…

“Indeed. My mother and father both believe that, in time, the combination of our three sets of complementary genes will result in something exemplary.” Which was to say that, while his parents did not fully understand the somewhat unconventional relationship the three of them shared, they fully supported their son and _both _of his partners. Kent had the sinking feeling that her father did not feel the same.

“It might be a little early to be thinking about _that_ yet,” Ikkyu replied, his voice playful, “but they’ve got the right idea.” He leaned over her head to give Kent a light kiss first; he let go of Kent’s hand after, to catch her chin and tilt her head back so he could lay a tender, chaste kiss to her lips. “What we have together is beautiful, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. And anyone who can’t see that? It’s their loss.”

It was a sentiment Kent agreed completely with, even as he thought that it likely wouldn’t be quite that easy for her. Regardless, he bent his head to lay a kiss of his own on her lips, and added, “For once, I believe Ikkyu is entirely correct.”

“‘For once?’” Ikkyu arched an eyebrow at him, scoffing audibly. He nudged her playfully, nodding at Kent. “Can you believe him? Insinuating that I’m not right all the time, which I clearly am.”

It was enough of a reassurance, or perhaps simply enough of a distraction, to draw an almost giggle from her, the corners of her lips tugging up into a smile more solid than the first tremulous one she’d given him when he arrived.

“I said ‘for once,’ and I meant it,” Kent answered, his voice deadpan. Ikkyu scoffed again, and she laughed once more; Kent couldn’t keep himself from first smiling at her laughter, then smirking at the affront in the other man’s expression, feigned as it may be for her amusement. “Seeing as how you still claim to never have cried at any of my math puzzles, I believe it is firmly fact that you are often incorrect.”

“He has you there, Ikki,” she said, and this time, her voice wasn’t a whisper. It didn’t even tremble, as she added, “I’ve seen you cry over at least one of those.”

“Are you two ganging up on me?” Ikkyu was giving her his most wounded look; she laughed again in return, and Kent’s smile grew. He didn’t think it would be the last of the fallout from her father’s rejection, but it was enough for now to see her genuinely smile.


	13. To Shut Them Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Whatever you are about to request, the answer is ‘no.’”
> 
> “Why Ken, how do you know I’m going to even make a request? Can’t a man come and visit his boyfriend without an ulterior motive?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _07\. to shut them up_
> 
> Set in some Spades route universe where Ikki, Kent, and the Heroine are in a relationship together. Ikki is a little shit, and everyone knows it. XD

“Whatever you are about to request, the answer is ‘no.’”

Ikki grinned widely at Ken’s blunt words, given in lieu of a hello as he stepped into the math lab. The older man hadn’t even looked up from his computer, still typing steadily; he still didn’t look up, even as Ikki closed the door behind him with a loud _thud_.

“Why Ken, how do you know I’m going to even make a request? Can’t a man come and visit his boyfriend without an ulterior motive?” He kept his voice as innocent as he could manage to make it, although he didn’t bother trying to temper his grin.

“I have been warned in advance,” Ken replied, nodding to where his phone sat atop his desk beside the keyboard without missing a single keystroke, and Ikki laughed.

“Alright, you got me.” Apparently their princess was a tattletale, but then, given the look she’d fixed him with as he’d slipped out of the cafe, leaving her _oh _so high and dry as she finished out her shift, he wasn’t _entirely_ surprised. It wasn’t enough to spoil his fun, not by a long shot. “But even with her warning, you still have no idea _what _I’m planning on asking; how do you know you know it won’t be for something perfectly innocuous?”

“That tone of voice, coming from you Ikkyu, is _never_ ‘perfectly innocuous.’” Ken’s voice was drier than the sahara, as was the look he fixed him with when he finally looked up from his computer. “Especially not when I’ve received not just a warning from our girlfriend that you’re up to no good, but I’ve received a warning from Waka as well.” The other man’s lips quirked up into something of a smirk, and he added coolly, “Waka said to advise you to study your employee manual; specifically, the section on appropriate behavior with coworkers. It seems you are due for some remedial training on your next shift.”

And _that_ was enough to, at least slightly, throw Ikki. _Waka_ had seen how much he’d been heavily teasing her every chance he’d gotten during the last hour of his shift, doing absolutely every single thing he could to rile her up without letting either the customers or Shin notice? He hadn’t even realized that Waka was _there_, since Shin had been the acting manager for the day, how-

“Is something wrong, Ikkyu?” The look on Ken’s face was far too amused, the tone of his voice equally so, which wasn’t entirely fair, given that Ken had never experienced any of Waka’s basic or- even worse- _remedial _training, so he didn’t know the kind of hell that was now apparently waiting in Ikki’s future.

“When the hell did Waka start texting you anyway?” Ikki asked rather than answer, still trying to wrap his mind around exactly how screwed he was on his next shift. “You’ve never even worked at Meido no Hitsuji, how did he get your number?”

“I’m listed as the emergency contact for both of you,” he answered calmly, like that explained it all, when it really, _really_ didn’t. Maybe it explained how Waka had gotten his number, but not why the man was texting him things like _warnings _and _upcoming punishments_ for Ikki’s misbehavior.

“I- you-”

“Now, _was _there something you wanted to ask me?” Butter wouldn’t have melted on Ken’s tongue, with the coolly smug look the other man was giving Ikki, and dammit, how had this entire situation so suddenly been turned on its head, leaving _Ikki_ as the one half flustered and suddenly worried?

There was only one way to fix this.

“Shut up,” he growled in return, and stepped around Ken’s desk quickly. Yet somehow, even as he reached out with one hand taking Ken by the nape of his neck to pull him into a demanding, commanding kiss, crushing their lips together and kissing him fiercely, bitingly, he knew Ken had won anyway.


	14. As an Apology

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She was only vaguely aware of Ikki’s voice in her ear, his fingers soothingly carding through her hair as he pulled away from her and out of bed. What she was _far more_ aware of was the cool air that rushed into the space where he had just been, sending a shiver down her spine and a wave of goosebumps prickling across her skin, even as she pulled the covers back around her tightly. That- and the furnace of heat at her back that was Kent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: 26. as an apology
> 
> Inspired by the folks on the [Amnesia Discord](https://incorrectamnesia.tumblr.com/post/190615856526/incorrectamnesia-thanks-for-the-feedback-heres), where we got to talking about how Kent is literally over a foot taller than Heroine. Set in some universe where Ikki, Kent, and the Heroine are together.

She was only vaguely aware of Ikki’s voice in her ear, his fingers soothingly carding through her hair; she mumbled somewhat nonsensically and tried to reach out for him as he pulled away from her and out of bed. She was somewhat more aware as he laughed softly and caught her hand, murmuring softly as he placed a kiss in her hair; she wasn’t awake enough to really grasp the words, but the gist of them was clear in the way he gently nudged her shoulder as if to try and turn her over. What she was _more_ aware of was the cool air that rushed into the space where he had just been, sending a shiver down her spine and a wave of goosebumps prickling across her skin, even as she pulled the covers back around her tightly. That- and the furnace of heat at her back that was Kent.

The decision was made without any conscious decision on her part; she was rolling over before the bedroom door had even closed behind Ikki, shifting blindly towards the warmth that was Kent’s- back, she thought, he had his back to her. Had she been awake enough to realize what that meant, she might have laughed, or flushed, but in her sleepy state, all she could think was to press up as close to his heat as she could. She wound one hand questingly over his side, the warmth of his bare skin almost scalding against her own, and it was _perfect_. Her hand splayed flat against his chest, her fingers curling at the tips into his skin, and she used her hold there to squirm closer in against his back, sleepily struggling to contort herself to his much longer, larger curves, seeking to steal as much heat from him as she possibly could.

It took a moment of wriggling to get her hips lined up with his, all of her chest pressed against his back with only the thin fabric of her nightgown separating them; her pillow was dragged down with the movement, her head no longer anywhere near his where she had started out, and her free arm slid up beneath it, running along the line of his body. Her legs followed the crook of his, her knees falling far short of his and leaving far too much cool night air sneaking beneath the covers and between her legs and his. With a deep shiver, she tightened her grip on his chest and tried to wriggle even closer to him, her fingers shifting up and down along his skin as she did.

Abruptly, enough so that it managed to pierce through the fog of her sleep, Kent _jerked_ beneath her grasp. It was only once, but the feeling of how _tense_ he suddenly was against her afterward tugged at her consciousness, causing her brows to furrow sleepily together.

“Kent?” His name was a sleepy mumble on her lips, whispered against the bare skin of his back, and she felt him tense even further in response. Concern that something was wrong began to filter through her foggy thoughts and she struggled with sleepy lids to look at him in the darkness. She shifted her hand on his chest, trying to shake him gently, and mumbled again, “Kent?”

“It is fine.” Even his whispered words were tense, which only furthered her worry that something was wrong. She started to shift, to sit up and try to get a better look at him, but suddenly his hand was covering hers on his chest, holding it still. He repeated, sounding fully awake, “It is fine.”

“You’re a terrible liar, Ken.” Ikki’s voice was laughing, coming from the once again open bedroom door, and she hadn’t even realized he’d come back in. She would have turned to look at him, but Kent’s hand on her own kept her still and in place.

“What’s going on,” she asked instead, her words slightly slurred with the sleepiness that was started to fade even more, and Ikki laughed again, the sound growing closer as he returned to the bed.

“Nothing,” Kent tried to protest, but it was overlaid with Ikki’s own amused answer;

“Look at where your hand is, princess.”

The bed dipped behind her as Ikki sat down on the edge of the mattress; combined with the way Kent was trying to hold her still, it made it difficult to shift up enough to look, but she managed it anyway. She peered tiredly over his side, her hair falling forward with the motion to brush delicately against Kent’s bare skin. He jerked again, and she had a feeling that should mean something, but her brain wasn’t quite working quickly enough to connect the dots.

“His stomach?” she murmured, and Ikki chuckled.

“Exactly. Where we both know how _very_ ticklish he can be sometimes.”

… oh. _Oh_.

Understanding dawned on her suddenly, and immediately she tried to pull her hand back, guilt flooding through her- but Kent’s hand on hers kept it in place. Kept _her_ right where she was, pressed against his back. She found herself asking again, softly, “Kent?”

“I am-” he started, and then broke off and repeated, “It is fine. I. Do not want you to move.”

“You two are adorable,” Ikki said, amusement and warmth both heavy in his voice, and then there was a rush of cool air as he lifted the sheets enough to slip beneath them. His warmth that immediately followed as he spooned himself against her made up for it though, and suddenly she was no longer anywhere near cold, but thoroughly, _perfectly_ warm. “If I wasn’t so tired myself, I’d take a picture.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Kent threatened as Ikki’s arm slipped around her, following her own where it wound around Kent, and the younger man laughed.

“Oh I wouldn’t?” he asked, and a moment later, as Ikki’s hand found both of theirs, Kent amended,

“You _will_ not.”

She couldn’t quite catch the sleepy laugh that escaped her, and so she didn’t try. Instead, she kissed his back gently, and told him, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to tickle you.”

“Go to sleep,” Kent answered, “both of you. It is late.” But his hand upon hers threaded his fingers through hers, squeezing lightly, and she knew he didn’t mean anything by it. Smiling to herself, she settled happily between her lovers and let herself slip once more to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So for amusement's sake, as I was writing this, I kept sending clips of Heroine octopusing onto Kent to my wife, and they were just like. I T Y O U , I AM IN THIS FIC AND I DON'T LIKE IT! >.> I may or may not regularly do this to my husband and wife, both of whom are significantly taller than I am, whoops. But hey, tall Little Spoons are adorable, just sayin'.


	15. Goodnight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was meant to be a simple ‘good night.’ He’d meant to walk her to her door, see her safely in, wish her a ‘good night,’ and begin the return journey to his parents’ house. He wasn't sure when good intentions had twisted into the pulsing, deep need that poured from her lips to his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _02\. goodnight_
> 
> Additional prompt, from a different [Fifty Kisses](https://PanickedPansexualPrincess.tumblr.com/post/190746975692/50-types-of-kisses-writing-prompts) prompt list I found: _24\. Deep kisses where they have their hands tangled in each other’s hair to pull them closer._
> 
> Set sometime long after Kent's good ending.

It was meant to be a simple ‘good night.’ He’d meant to walk her to her door, see her safely in, wish her a ‘good night,’ and begin the return journey to his parents’ house. Instead they were standing just in front of her door, her dainty form trapped between it and his own, significantly more sturdy frame, his fingers tangled in the silky smooth hair at the nape of her neck as their lips crushed together in a deep, biting, _passionate_ kiss, and he couldn’t recall exactly when good intentions had twisted into the pulsing, deep need that poured from her lips to his.

If he were to give it thought- a task which seemed impossible given his current condition- he might have put it somewhere between the moment when she had let go of his hand to reach for her keys, and the moment when she had turned back to look up at him, meeting his steady gaze with one that was wrought with some darkly heated desire that he wasn’t sure how to answer. There’d been a moment during which neither of them had moved, holding that heated gaze between them in a way that only seemed to fan the flames of that desire hotter and higher. She’d started to turn then, her keys in hand, and-

And he’d found himself moving before he even meant to, alerted to his actions more by the clatter of her keys crashing to the ground, the suddenly stolen warmth of her lips against his, the way her neck fit perfectly within the curve of his large hand, than by any conscious realization of what he was doing. She’d made a soft sound against his lips, almost a moan, as her hands moved upward to bury themselves in the dark fabric of his coat, clinging needily to him, and he’d been utterly unable to resist the urge to deepen the kiss. His hand on her neck had tightened just ever so slightly, his fingers curving in to bury in her locks just as her fingers were buried in the buckles of his coat, and she’d made another sound, this time a breathy whimper of want. His free arm had slid around her waist, providing her a sturdy support as he pressed her backwards against her own door; there had been a light _thud_ as his arm and her shoulders hit it, but neither he nor she had heeded it as their kiss deepened.

Many minutes had passed since then- or perhaps hours, because as illogical as it, every moment spent with her felt like a lifetime at times- and all thoughts of wishing her a ‘good night’ had long washed away in the passion of their kiss. Instead, as they finally pulled apart, both of them panting softly, when she whispered breathily,

“Do you- do you want to-”

He answered swiftly, “Yes.”

And, nearly blinded by the beauty of her heated and happy smile, he bowed to retrieve her keys; he waited, feeling uncharacteristically impatient, as she fumbled with them to get her door unlocked; he took her hand when the door swept open, and allowed her to lead him inside.

He had a feeling that it would be a very good night indeed.


	16. Casually

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Alright, now separate out the hair into three sections, like this, with your index fingers, and your middle finger.”
> 
> Ikki was careful as he lifted the light brown locks hooked in his fingers, letting Ken get a better view of exactly what he was doing. Ken, for his part, frowned, his eyebrows furrowing as he looked first over at Ikki’s fingers, then back to the small segment of their youngest daughter’s hair that he held in his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _14\. casually_
> 
> Set in some universe where Ikki, Kent, and the Heroine are together. Get ready for some tooth-rottingly sweet fluff.

“Alright, now separate out the hair into three sections, like this, with your index fingers, and your middle finger.”

Ikki was careful as he lifted the light brown locks hooked in his fingers, letting Ken get a better view of exactly what he was doing. Ken, for his part, frowned, his eyebrows furrowing as he looked first over at Ikki’s fingers, then back to the small segment of their youngest daughter’s hair that he held in his own. Ikki watched as the other man tried to separate it into three equal sections- and failed, one of the segments coming out almost twice the size of the other two; he had to bite back a laugh when Ken’s frown deepened and he quickly merged them once more, separated them out again, and… they came out almost exactly like before.

“How do you create even sections,” Ken asked, merging them and trying to separate them again, and Ikki bit back another laugh as they came out only slightly better than before.

“Practice,” he answered, and he knew that his amusement was clear in his voice, even if he _had _managed not to laugh outright. “Lots and lots of practice.”

He’d had his sister’s hair to practice on when they’d been children and his mother had been too busy to do it for her; later, when he’d begun to date, he’d found out very quickly how much _other _women enjoyed having him play with their hair as well. When he’d met their princess, with her love of (somewhat intricate) braids, that he would play with and braid her hair often had been a foregone conclusion; when their daughters had been born, both of them absolute angels and the newest lights of his life, that he would braid _their _hair too had been an inevitability that he’d been more than happy to oblige.

And now, here he was teaching _Ken_ how to braid their hair as well, because Riko, the younger of the twins, had asked why papa never braided their hair like mama and daddy did, and if that meant he didn’t love them as much. And she had asked while Ken was in the room.

The half hour immediately following the question had been spent with Ikki and Ken _both _reassuring the girls that they _both _loved them equally as much as the other, and that that would never change. The five minutes after that had been spent convincing the girls to tell them where they’d gotten such an idea; the five after that, Ken talking Ikki down from heading right out the door to give Rika a piece of his mind for _daring_ to put such an idea in his daughters’ heads. And the hour after that, Ikki had spent calming Ken down and _promising_ to teach him how to braid hair.

“Ow, papa!” In the present, Riko squirmed beneath Ken’s hands, apparently oblivious to the fact that it was her own squirming that was pulling at the hair he held. Ken, apparently _also_ oblivious, froze immediately, looking over to Ikki with wide eyes.

“Hold still, sissy,” Akari said from her position in front of Ikki, giggling perhaps a little too much. “Papa’s not pulling, you are!”

“She’s right, my little princess. Stay still for papa; you want your hair to look pretty, don’t you?” Ikki gave Riko a firm look, and she stilled immediately. Only to, a second later, tilt her head backwards to look up at Ken.

“Sorry, I’ll be better, I promises. I’m just so excited!” And the grin that she turned onto her papa was every bit as blindingly sweet and beautiful as her mother’s smiles; Ikki felt his heart melt at the sight of it, and it wasn’t even aimed at him. He was thoroughly surprised that Ken wasn’t absolutely melting into a puddle right there where he sat.

“It’s- fine,” Ken stammered, clearly affected by that smile even if he wasn’t outwardly melting. He very quickly collected himself though, and after leaning down to brush a kiss on the top of her hair, he straightened and told her, “Now lower your head so that daddy can teach me to braid your hair.”

“Yes papa!” she exclaimed, and jerked her head back down immediately; she visibly winced when she pulled down too hard, pulling at her own hair again, but she made no sound this time. Her face settled into a firm look of determination in which Ikki could see both Ken and their wife’s countenance in, could see both of their stubborn, determined streaks in, and then Ken himself turned an almost identical look onto him.

“Three sections, correct,” he asked, and began to separate the hair he held once more. Ikki grinned and nodded.

“Three sections. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect right now, we’ve got plenty of time to practice.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This idea has been sitting in my head for ages, ever since my wife and I got to talking about how Ikki being 'good with his hands' had to translate to be _wonderful_ at playing with a girl's hair, and how he could braid Heroine's hair for her. Which then lead to talking about how Kent would have trouble with it, but Ikki could teach him, and then. Kid fic was totally on the table. XD So I hope you guys enjoyed it!


	17. Out of Pride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I know that White Day is not for another month. This is a gift in preparation for how we will spend our next Valentine’s Day; in London, it is not only women who present gifts to their loved ones today.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _42\. out of pride_
> 
> So. I heart sweethearts/conversation hearts, and I _needed_ some reason to use them in my Valentine's ficlette, so y'all got this. Set after Kent's good ending.

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she looked at the small tube Kent had pressed into her hands; it was no longer than the span of her hand, long and solid, and was wrapped in delicate heart-covered tissue paper. She looked back up at him, something like confusion in her eyes, but as she opened her mouth to ask, he smiled and told her,

“I know that White Day is not for another month. This is a gift in preparation for how we will spend our next Valentine’s Day; in London, it is not only women who present gifts to their loved ones today.”

Right, she knew that, she just hadn’t. Expected anything of the kind now. She probably wouldn’t have even next year, if- no, _when_\- they would be celebrating Valentine’s abroad in London. That he was already anticipating that, to the point that he’d gotten her a gift _now_, was so sweet that she wasn’t sure she had words for it. She closed her fingers around the gift, bringing it up and close to her chest, and she felt her cheeks strain with the happiness of the smile she gave him.

“I don’t have your gift with me right now,” she told him, and flushed a bit. She hadn’t been expecting him to pick her up from work, since he usually had a later class today, so she hadn’t brought the chocolate she’d made for him with her. Now here he was, not only surprising her by picking her up, but he’d even gotten her a gift. “Do you want me to wait until we get back to open this, that way you’ll have your gift too?”

He laughed warmly, shook his head, and told her, “No need. Go ahead and open it now. I look forward to seeing how much you enjoy it.”

“Alright, if you’re sure.” She waited until Kent nodded, and then delicately began to tear open the top of the tube, trying to preserve as much of it as she could. What she found inside was…

Her brows furrowed again as she pulled the gift fully free from the tissue. It was wrapped in a white paper, like the kind you’d find candy in, and was covered with romaji and more hearts; more specifically, hearts with romaji _on _them. She turned the little package sideways, trying to figure out exactly what the larger lettering running the full length of it said; they’d been working on her English, in preparation for next year, but she still wasn’t exactly great with it.

“_Giant… Love Hearts_?” She looked up to Kent, to make sure she’d pronounced it correctly, and he nodded, a proud smile on his face.

“They’re a popular candy in Britain this time of year. In America, they have a similar candy called ‘_conversation hearts_,’ or ‘_sweethearts_.’” The English rolled off his tongue perfectly, but of course, he’d been preparing to be _in_ London already. She suppressed the slight flash of jealousy at his ease with the language, as he asked her, “May I?”

He nodded towards the tube of candy, and she offered it up to him. He opened the top of it with ease, spilling out a single round candy wafer; it was white, stamped with a red heart shape, and there were two words within the heart. He told her, with a smile;

“You are ‘_all mine_.’” The last two words were English again, and after taking a moment to parse what he’d said, she felt her cheeks flush with heat. He held up the little candy to her lips, and flushing what had to be a bright red, she opened her mouth to accept it. The flavor was mild and sweet, slightly tart, and she rolled it around her tongue for a moment before biting down on it. It took a moment to break it into pieces small enough to swallow, and she was incredibly aware of Kent’s eyes watching her the entire time.

In an effort to save face, she took the tube of candy back, and as she finished the one, she spilled out another into her own hand. Somewhat embarrassed, she focused on the text of the wafer she’d received, and- _yes, good_.

“‘_Kiss me_,’” she told him in English, sounding bolder and braver than she felt, and she was gratified to see that it was _Kent’s_ turn to blush. Finding her confidence, she held the candy up to _his_ lips, and watched as, flushing more, he accepted it just as she had. The slight brush of his lips on the tips of her fingers sent another flush of heat through her; a heat that only intensified when almost immediately after, swallowing the candy far swifter than she had, Kent bent down and captured her lips in a kiss far sweeter than the candy had been.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, many thanks to my wife, [Gyhl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gyhl), who is my beta and who gets to put up with me shoving stuff at them and praying that it's okay. XD
> 
> If you're on tumblr, you can find me at <s>_[MakethWoman](http://MakethWoman.tumblr.com)_</s> [PanickedPansexualPrincess](http://PanickedPansexualPrincess.tumblr.com).


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